Ambush
by Gentle-Darkness
Summary: Tarrlok's task force invades the Equalist chi blocker training camp. They think they have the upper hand. They were wrong. T for language and situations. Slight Makkora.
1. Chapter 1: Ambush

Ambush

*Tarrlok's Task Force raids the Equalist Chi Blocker training facility. They think they have the upper hand. But when it comes to Amon, the only one who ever has the upper hand is him.*

Korra tossed the two smoke bombs frozen in a ball of ice aside. She called out to Tarrlok.

"I'm going after those two!"

She kicked in the door and took off after the two chi blockers. She turned the corner and started into a full sprint, determined to catch up. Too late, she noticed the trip wire set up at ankle height. She tripped and hit the ground hard. Mentally cursing herself, she righted herself and looked up. A chi blocker fell from the ceiling right on top of her. Fear invaded her mind. Acting purely on instinct, she flipped backward dodging the chi blockers attack and kicked out, sending a large bolder into the chi blocker's stomach. Losing her balance, Korra fell back. Feeling something behind her, and turned to see another chi blocker preparing to strike. Before she could bend, before she could move, before she could scream, a jet of water flew over her head, slammed the chi blocker against the wall and froze him there instantly. She turned back to see Tarrlok standing there.

"Nice timing." Her voice was steady but her heart was hammering.

"Thanks Tarrlok."

Tarrlok straightened up and smiled.

"We make a good team, Avatar."

Feeling relieved that it was over, Korra managed a small smile of her own.

"Yeah. We do."

She saw Tarrlok's body jerk slightly and the smile slowly faded from his face. Korra immediately felt something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Tarrlok? TARRLOK!"

She rushed toward the council member as he fell to his knees and collapsed to the ground. She stopped dead in her tracks. Behind Tarrlok's unmoving form were chi blockers. Lots of chi blockers. Korra flung flames at the group and turned to run…Only to find her path blocked by more chi blockers. Panicked, She unleashed a torrent of fire and earth at her attackers, but it was in vain. She was quickly overwhelmed. Arms and legs bound, mouth gagged, the Avatar could only watch in terror as the chi blockers parted to reveal Amon. He leered down at her, his eyes shinning.

"Pleasure to finally meet you…Avatar."

His hand snapped foreword, and she knew only darkness.

* * *

He didn't like it at all. Mako paced back and forth around his room. Korra visited him before she left to go on Tarrlok's task force's first mission. He told her not to go, that it was dangerous. She told him she could handle herself. He told her that the only reason she was joined the task force is because she wouldn't admit that she was scared of Amon. She didn't like that. She stormed out after shouting at him for a full minute. He could have sworn there were tears in her eyes.

"_AARGH! She can be so stubborn!"_

Mako stopped pacing and ran his hands through his hair, then winced. His jaw still hurt from where Korra hit him.

"GAH! What do I DO?"

Bolin stopped washing Pabu and looked over at his stressing brother.

"Calm down bro! You've been pacing for like, five minutes. You're stressed out. Korra's stressed out. You're stressing ME out. Hell, you're even stressing Pabu out!"

The fire ferret poked his furry head out of the water and squeaked.

"Korra's gonna be fine. She's with that dude from the council. Tarrot, or whatever his name is. And, oh, I don't know, am I missing something? Oh yeah, that's right I am: SHE'S THE AVATAR. You know how she fights. She'll be fine."

He returned to washing Pabu, who was trying to escape his soapy fate.

"You're worrying about nothing bro."

Mako heard his brother's words and knew them to be true, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that Korra was in danger. He grabbed his coat and started for the stairs leading to the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are YOU headed?"

Heading down the stairs, Mako called back to his brother.

"Out. I'm going to get some air."

Bolin yelled after him.

"Ooo! Bring me back those dumplings I like!"

He heard the door close as Mako left. He started to dry off Pabu.

"Hear that Pabu? Mako's bringin' us dumplings!"

With his favorite dumplings on his mind, the younger bending brother finished washing his pet, whistling a tune.

Mako shivered and drew his coat closer to himself. It was colder than he thought. He put his hand on the railing under the gazeebo outside the Pro-Bending Arena and looked out over the water. The city glistened in the distance like the rising of a second sun. He felt a pang in his heart when he remembered the last time he stood in this spot. He closed his eyes as he tried to clear his head…

_Looking around, Mako spotted her standing under the gazebo, leaning against one of the pillars. He walked up to her._

"_We need to talk. Look, sometimes you can be so infuriating, but I-"_

_Korra cut him off, absentmindedly waving a hand at him._

"_Save your breath. You already made it clear about how you feel about me."_

_She sounded so dejected and depressed…It made Mako's heart ache. It took him quite a bit of willpower to not pull her into a warm embrace._

"_No…I haven't…"_

_Mako took a deep breath to steel his resolve._

"_What I'm trying to say is, as much as you drive me crazy…"_

_He looked at her silky hair tied up in her usual ponytail, swaying gently in the breeze. He averted his gaze._

"_I also think you're pretty amazing."_

_She turned to him. Her eyes filled with hope and disbelief._

"_So…You do like me?"_

"_Yes." He sighed. She was so beautiful. But she needed to know the whole truth._

"_But I like Asami too. I don't know…"_

_Her eyes bore into him, her gaze so intense. He looked downward just so he could finish what he was saying._

"_Things are complicated. I've been feeling really confused-"_

_He looked up to find her face centimeters from his own, her eyes closed. His eyes widened as their lips met in a gentle kiss. Mako was shocked and became even more so when he felt himself return the kiss. His eyes closed as he lost himself in her. They broke apart. He stared at her, dumbstruck. She looked up at him with a shy smile on her lips. A soft blush painted her cheeks as her cerulean eyes sparkled in the moonlight…_

Mako shook himself out of his reverie.

_"What the hell am I thinking? I'm with Asami. I love Asami."_

Yet all he could think about is what he would do if Korra got captured…Or worse.

_"I love Asami."_

He sees Korra, chained up in a dark prison.

_"I love Asami"_

He hears her scream as she's tortured by Amon's henchmen.

_"I love Asami."_

Tears stream down her face.

_"I love Asami."_

She whispers his name, wishing she could see him one last time…

Mako slammed a flame-covered fist into the railing and screamed at the sky.

"DAMNIT!"

He clenched his fists, panting slightly.

_"I love…"_

_"Korra."_

Mako looked across the water at the city and decided what he would do. He turned and ran off to find a taxi.

_"Hang on Korra…I'm coming."_

End of Part 1

Part two in progress.

Please leave a review to tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2: The Search

Ambush

Chapter 2: The Search

"Where to, young sir?"

The cab driver gave Mako a polite smile. Mako opened his mouth to answer, then realized that he had no idea where to start looking. The operation was secret so Korra mentioned nothing to him about it. An overwhelming sense of despair and desperation gripped him as he realized how impossible it would be to find her.

"Sir? SIR?"

Mako realized the cabbie had been trying to get his attention for the best part of ten seconds. He said the first place that came to his mind.

"Take me to Central Station, please."

Korra's radiant smile flashed through his mind.

"And step on it."

Mako sat on the steps to the station thinking hard about his next move. He looked up at the bronze statue of Fire Lord Zuko. He stood, proud as always. He held aloft an ever-burning flame, which symbolized…. Mako sat up straight.

_Zuko's statue. He couldn't be to far even though it's late…_

He looked around frantically.

_Maybe…Just maybe…_

Mako spotted him lurking around the mouth of an alleyway, scanning the new arrivals for fresh pickpocket victims. Mako hurried over to him.

"Skoochy!"

The young orphan jumped and threw his arms in the air.

"Officer, I swear I didn't take nothin'!" Oh, it's you Mako."

Skoochy breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"What can I do ya for?"

"There is a task force that Korra's on with a city councilman. They were going on their first mission tonight. I need to know where they went."

Skoochy whistled, putting his hands in his pockets.

"That's a tall order my friend, but I may have a way to get you that info. HOWEVER, it's not gonna be cheap."

"I don't care. Name your price."

"Well, if you put it THAT way…"

Skoochy's smug smile would normally signal Mako that he was going to have to pay and made him feel slightly annoyed. Tonight, the only thing that smile did was make Mako's blood boil.

_I don't have time for this._

"What's the info worth to ya?"

Mako lost control. He grabbed Skoochy and pinned him up against the wall of the alley.

"IT'S WORTH EVERYTHING TO ME!"

The shock and fear Mako saw in his friend's eyes was enough to calm him down. He let Skoochy go, trying to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry Skoochy. It's just…I think Korra's in trouble. I need to know where she is."

Try as he might, Mako couldn't keep desperation out of his voice.

"Please…"

Skoochy brushed himself off and looked up at Mako, his eyes serious.

"Why didn't you say so? I can find out, but it won't be easy…And you're not gonna like most of it."

"Whatever it takes."

Skoochy nodded.

"Alright. Follow me."

Skoochy took off down the alleyway with Mako not far behind.

"What's the plan?"

Skoochy didn't answer him for a moment.

"A guy from my crew's got friends in low places. This is the part you're not going to like…We gotta head into Red Monsoon territory."

* * *

Mako stood impatiently outside the casino. Two very burly bouncers eyed him suspiciously. Skoochy tried to get him in, but a man with bleached hair told him to wait outside until the boss said it was ok. Just as Mako started to wonder how long it would take until something happened, the door opened and the blond man came back.

"Follow me. The boss wants to talk to you in person."

Mako paused for a minute. He realized that he was dealing with the boss of one of the fiercest gangs in Republic City. He began to wonder if this really was a good idea… He didn't realize how long he was standing there until he felt a force pull him into the casino. He stumbled in, quite ungracefully. He looked behind him to see the blond toss aside the stream of water he used to pull Mako through the door. He looked at Mako with contempt.

"Get up. The boss doesn't like to wait."

Mako quickly straightened up and followed the blond man. The casino was full of high rollers, gambling away their money. Beautiful waitresses were flashing radiant smiles and bending drinks into glasses. The dealers were playing slight of hand tricks, making sure no one got_ too_ lucky that night. Mako turned his attention back to where he was being taken. He was led to the back of the casino to a hallway blocked by two more bouncers. They let them through and Mako saw, at the end of the hall, were a pair of fancy double doors. On the doors there was an insignia; a red full moon behind curtains of rain. The blond man signaled for Mako to wait as he approached the fancy doors. The man knocked twice and a small panel in the door slid open and the boy whispered something through it. The panel slid shut and the doors opened.

"Get in."

Mako entered the room and the doors swing shut behind him. He was standing in a very ornate office. On either side of him stood two girls roughly his age. Neither of them looked very friendly. Both of them had water pouches on their belts, open and ready. Skoochy was standing next to a desk. Sitting behind the desk was a very pretty girl. She looked to be only a few years older than Mako. She was casually chatting with Skoochy. When the doors closed, she turned her attention to Mako. She really _was_ pretty. She had glossy brown hair that framed her face perfectly. Her eyes were blood red, her gaze as cold and piercing as an icicle. Mako felt himself shiver as she looked at him. Her lips were the exact shade as her eyes and were curved in an amused smile.

"Please, come in."

Her voice was as sweet as honey, as smooth as silk, and as alluring as water to a starving man. She looked past him and made a gesture.

"That will be all Jace, thank you."

Mako turned to see the blond man who showed him in bow and exit the room. He turned back to look at the girl who's gaze returned to him.

"Welcome. You must be Mako."

Mako found that the only thing he could do was nod.

"I understand that you are interested in some information."

Mako glanced at Skoochy, who was staring at his feet fidgeting. Mako made a mental note. If this woman made Skoochy nervous, he had to tread carefully. He tried to speak, but found that he had a lump in this throat. Clearing it, he answered her.

"Uh, y-yeah. I think Skoochy mentioned the information that I'm after."

The woman's red eyes flicked to Skoochy, who met her gaze briefly before shifting his eyes back to the floor. He looked slightly pale.

"Yes…That he did."

The woman made a dismissing gesture and both girls on either side of Mako exited the room. Her eyes returned to Mako. She stood up and walked around to the front of the desk. She was really stunning. She was a little taller than Mako, her slender yet curvy frame sheathed in a velvety dark red dress. A slit ran up the side of the dress, showing quite a bit of leg. She leaned back on the desk and crossed her legs. Mako found himself staring.

"S-so, uhh….You're the leader of the Red Monsoons?" He stammered.

The woman's expression remained unchanged.

"I am. I am Akali. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Mako noticed her eyes became brighter.

"Speaking of pleasure, I have noticed that you have been 'subtly' ogling my beauty this entire evening. You should probably close your mouth."

She casually raised a hand and Mako felt his jaw muscles tense. He tried to move it. Fear gripped him when he realized he couldn't.

"Before I close it for you."

Mako tried as best he could to nod. The woman's hand dropped and Mako felt himself get control of his jaw again. He shut it quickly.

"_She…..She's a Bloodbender…"_

He thought back to the warning Skoochy gave him before he went in.

_You think Lightning-Bolt Zolt was bad? He's got NOTHING on her. You really gotta be careful this time…I've heard very bad things happen to people who set her off. She's a master Waterbender. Like, a MASTER. _

Skoochy wasn't kidding.

"Good boy. Now then, back to the matter at hand. I do have the information you seek, but the price will be…Costly."

"What is your price?" Mako wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"What do you want?"

At that, Akali's smile became more devious.

"What I want…Is you."

Mako wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"Um…What?"

"I want you."

Her eyes gleamed.

"To make yourself available to me at any time that I request it. You are to come when I call and where I call you to, is that clear?"

Mako swallowed hard.

"What would I need to do?"

"That is information that you do not need to know. I will tell you what you know when you need to know it."

She sounded impatient.

"I understand that you needed this information with some haste yet now I am not so sure if it is even worth my time…"

"No!"

Mako knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care.

"Please, I'll do whatever you want, just please tell me where Korra is."

Akali smiled and Mako hoped he didn't end up regretting this decision later. Then he remembered who he was doing it for and it made it all worthwhile.

"Alright then. One of my boys happened to notice two police trucks suspiciously parked outside a bakery on State Street. There seemed to be some sort of commotion in the basement."

Mako's heart leapt. He had a lead. But he still wanted to know what he exactly agreed to do.

Turning away from him, Akali waved a hand, casually dismissing the two.

"Go find Jace and he will show you out. I have things that I need to do."

Skoochy hurried to the door, but Mako stayed behind.

"There's one more question I want answered. Why do you need me? Can't you tell me what you need me for? I deserve to know-"

Akali's arm became a blur and Mako found a two foot long spike of ice sunk into the wall inches from his face. When Akali spoke, her voice no longer sounded sweet and silky. It was as sharp as daggers and as cold as her gaze.

"Why are you still here? Did I not make myself clear? If you need another reminder, the next one won't miss."

Mako didn't need to be told twice. He left the office in a rush. Jace was waiting to escort them outside. After the two were blocks away from the casino, Mako turned to Skoochy.

"Skoochy, I know it's a lot to ask, but I need to get to that bakery as fast as possible."

Skoochy held up a hand.

"No worries. Just follow me. If we hurry, we can get there in fifteen minutes."

"You're the best Skoochy"

"Yeah. I know."

The pair took off running.

_Almost there._

End of Part 2

Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Next: Chapter 3-Awakening


	3. Chapter 3: Awakening

Ambush

Chapter 3: Awakening

Barely conscious, Korra felt herself being drug down what seemed like a long hallway. Her eyes fluttered open slightly and she could make out the light coming from the masked eyes of chi blockers. Glancing past them, she saw metal walls and doors lit by closed electric lamps. Before she slipped out of consciousness, she thought she could hear the faint call of seagulls.

* * *

Korra jerked awake as something solid collided with her face. She let out a gasp of pain as her sight adjusted to the darkened room.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Korra looked around to see who spoke. She was in a small room that was little more than a metal box with a lamp in the back. The chi blocker that struck her was standing off at her side. Right in front of her was a metal door. Leaning against the metal door was a man dressed all in black. Seeing her focus on him, he sauntered over to her to get a better look.

"Have a nice nap?"

His tone was cruel and mocking. Korra realized that she was kneeling. She tried to stand, but her hands were chained to the floor. She struggled helplessly and the man laughed. His laugh was high and cold. She looked back at him and froze. She felt scared of him. He was pale with thin cheekbones and lips. His eyes are what frightened her. They were black as darkest night, two black voids in which all light was lost. His face showed an expression of mock concern.

"Ooo…You look a bit uncomfortable. Let me help."

He stood, made a complicated hand gesture that Korra didn't recognize, and pressed his index and middle finger against her temple. Instantly, a pain that Korra had never felt before coursed through her. She felt as if her head would explode. Her vision blurred and her stomach churned. She screamed in agony and the man smiled.

"That better?"

He pulled his hand away and the pain stopped. Korra collapsed against her bonds, panting. She almost sobbed in relief.

"_What…..what did he do to me?"_

"Too much?"

His hand, which was surprisingly gentle, cupped her face and brought it up to face his. He was muttering things while examining her. Apparently satisfied, he let her go and stood up to leave.

"That was fun. We _must_ do it again sometime."

Korra managed to find her voice before the man left.

"Who…Who are you?…" She said weakly.

The man turned and his eyes held no mocking gaze. When he spoke, no cruel humor remained, just malice.

"They call me Kayne."

His smile made her blood run cold.

"And I'm the one who's going to find out what…Makes…You…Tick…"

* * *

Korra didn't know how much time had past since Kayne left. What felt like hours could have easily been minutes. There was no way to tell. At one point, a chi blocker came in to feed her. She spat in his masked faced. The only thing that gained her was a blow to the head. More time past. Korra wondered how long it would be until someone, _anyone_, realized that no one from the task force had come back. She wondered what became of Tarrlok. In her mind, she saw Tarrlok collapse on the ground, his face held a look of surprise. She hoped he was alright. Faces of those she cared about flashed through her mind:

_Her mother and father standing outside their home in the South Pole, waving goodbye to their daughter. Master Katara telling her to pursue her own destiny. Tenzin nodding in approval as she finally made it through the wind gates. Ikki bounding around the walls and always talking. Jinora's face buried in a book. Meelo biting everything he could get his mouth on. Pema's smiling face as she served Korra dinner. Bolin first teaching her pro-bending tactics for the first time. Mako's surprised face after she kissed him._

The sound of the door opening jerked her back to reality. Two chi blockers entered, followed closely by Amon. He stood in a casual stance, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Greetings, Avatar. Kayne tells me you have already met."

As if on cue, Kayne appeared behind Amon. Korra felt herself withdraw from him instinctively. Kayne chuckled.

"Oh, I think she likes me."

His dark eyes shined.

"I know we're going to be the best of friends."

Korra didn't know what to do. She was being held prisoner by the man who plagued her dreams. Causing her to wake up screaming, covered in cold sweat. And standing behind him was a man who could cause intense pain at just a touch.

Trying to hold back tears, Korra spoke.

"What do you want from me?"

Amon bent down to look her in the eye, face to masked face.

"What I want from you is very simple."

His yellow eyes bore into hers.

"You are to be the spark that ignites the final stage of my plan. You will tell the council to surrender the city to me if they ever want to see Tarrlok alive again. You will also convince Chief Beifong to disband her little bending army and give her bending to me."

Korra laughed mirthlessly. She knew Amon was crazy, but this…

"What makes you even _think _that I would do ANYTHING for you?" She spat.

Amon stood and motioned to one of the chi blockers. He exited the room. Amon stepped aside as a bloody and battered form was thrown to the floor in front of Korra.

"_No…..It can't be…"_

Her eyes widened and filled with tears as she whispered his name.

"Mako…"

He was conscious, but barely. He was moaning something. Amon stepped foreword and picked him up by his collar. Rage filled Korra as she strained against her bonds, desperately trying to reach him.

"I swear Amon, if you hurt him, I'll-!"

She was cut off by Kayne's laughter.

"You'll do what, little Avatar? Spit at us?"

He turned his attention towards Mako.

"Time to wake the sleeping prince."

Korra felt fear grip her as she saw Kayne make a familiar hand sign and reach his middle and index finger towards Mako's chest.

"NO! I'll do it! I'll do anything! Just please…don't hurt him…"

Amon raised a hand and stopped Kayne from touching Mako. She hated herself for being forced to beg at the feet of her worst enemy. Amon signaled Kayne to stand down. Kayne did so reluctantly. Amon turned to leave.

"Good girl."

They left the room, taking Mako with them. Korra lowered her head and cried bitter tears, wishing that she could have been stronger.

End Chapter 3.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Next: Chapter 4-All In The Pursuit of Love


	4. Chapter 4: All in the Pursuit of Love

Ambush

Chapter 4: In the Pursuit of Love

Mako and Skoochy raced through alleyways and backstreets. They ran through places in the city that Mako never even knew existed. They came to the mouth of yet another alleyway when Skoochy stopped short. Mako almost barreled right into him.

"What is it? Why did we stop? We need to keep moving."

Skoochy made a hushing gesture at Mako then motioned for him to get against the wall of the alley.

"Calm down. We're here."

They peeked around the corner and, sure enough, there were two police trucks parked by a nearby building. Mako scanned the immediate area. They seemed to be alone.

"Alright. Lets go."

They snuck over to the nearest truck, keeping low. It was abandoned. No cops in sight. Mako made his way over to the other truck. That one was abandoned as well. Looking over at the building, he saw that a wide hole had been blasted in the bottom of the wall. He motioned to Skoochy to join him and the pair leapt through the hole. They landed in a large puddle of water. They looked around. There was water everywhere, along with rocks and piles of brick that didn't move there naturally. On the back wall of the room was a torn and waterlogged poster of Amon. Skoochy scratched his head.

"Yup. Something big went down here. Akali was right."

Mako noticed a door next to the poster that had been kicked off its hinges.

"There. That way. We gotta hurry."

They went through the door and hurried cautiously down the hallway. They came to a few forks, but they only led to small chambers filled with charts of the human central nerve system, books, and human models with pins sticking out of them. They then came to a large fork in the road. They looked at each other.

"Right or left?"

Mako thought hard for a moment. They couldn't afford to waste time going down both one at a time, but they couldn't afford to split up. If they ran into chi blockers alone, they would be as good as done.

"We'll head right."

Skoochy nodded.

"Let's go."

They headed down the right fork. After a little while, they reached a metal door. It was open slightly and light was spilling out. They could hear music coming through the door. Mako tapped Skoochy on the shoulder and signaled him to take a peek. Skoochy shook his head vigorously. The two had a silent argument. Mako won. Reluctantly, Skoochy snuck up to the door and peeked inside. He waved Mako over.

"Check this out."

Mako snuck up beside Skoochy and looked inside himself. It was a medium sized room filled with supplies. On one wall, there was a closet full of chi blocker suits. On another there was a rack full of those things that chi blockers threw at their legs to slow them down. Mako didn't know what they were called. All around the room were metal shelves full of boxes. It seemed like they were getting ready to get shipped out. In the back of the room was another metal door. In the middle of the room was a desk. The music was coming from a radio on the desk. A man was humming along with the music, packing things up. They two fell back. Skoochy looked at Mako.

"What do we do?"

Mako thought fast. He could easily take the man on, but he wanted to attract the least amount of attention. This needed to be quiet. Mako got an idea. He pulled Skoochy close and filled him in on the plan. Skoochy nodded, stood back, and closed his eyes in concentration. He nodded to Mako, who opened the door and darted in. He rushed toward the man who didn't notice him until Mako was a few feet away. He opened his mouth to scream, but before he could, his mouth was full of gravel. With a perfectly swift fiery roundhouse, Mako knocked the man out. He caught him before he hit the ground. He gently eased the man to the floor as Skoochy bended the gravel out of his mouth. Mako gave Skoochy a thumbs up and he moved to the other door. It was locked. Mako cursed under his breath. After everything he went through, a locked door was the last thing he wanted to stop him. He heard a rummaging noise. He looked around and saw him looking through the desk.

"What are you doing?"

Skoochy made a triumphant exclamation and held up a simple paperclip.

"Lookin for this. Move over."

Skoochy pushed past Mako and knelt by the lock.

"Thirty seconds, we're in."

True to his word, after half a minute, Mako heard a faint click and the door opened. Skoochy smirked up at him.

"I guess all those 'unexpected house calls' are coming in handy."

Mako couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, he almost felt glad that his friend was a borderline criminal. Skoochy, feeling brave, snuck through the door to scout ahead. He came back seconds later and shut the door quickly. His face was pale.

"What is it?"

"Chi blockers…"

"How many?"

Skoochy looked at him.

"…Lots."

Mako decided to see for himself. He opened the door and looked outside. It was a very short hallway that led to the right. He looked around the corner. The hallway led into a large room that looked like a warehouse. It was full of crates that were being loaded up on trucks. Chi blockers were everywhere. Mako counted at least twenty. Six of them were in a circle in the middle of the room. There were more people in the center of the ring of chi blockers, but Mako couldn't make any of them out. He saw a way to get closer, but he couldn't get closer without being seen. He saw a crate that could hide him easily if he could somehow get behind it. He doubled back to Skoochy.

"Skoochy, I need you to make a hole in the wall big enough for me to get through."

Skoochy gave him a look that said; _Are you nuts?_

"Come on. We've made it this far. I need at least make sure she's ok."

Skoochy sighed.

"Fine…But I'm not going in with ya. Sorry Mako, but I'd rather turn myself in to Chief Beifong."

Skoochy did some fancy earthbending and made a nice, slim doorway. Mako gave Skoochy an appreciative smile. He slipped through and hid behind the crate. He peeked around the corner. Most of the chi blockers were busy with loading up the trucks. The others were either moving crates or standing in a circle in the middle. Mako noticed that another man had joined the chi blockers in the middle. He needed to get closer. Mako began hopping from crate to crate, staying low and behind cover all the while. He got close enough to make out the details of the people in the middle. They wore special uniforms, similar to the Metalbending Corps uniforms. It was the Task Force. They were bound and gagged. Two of them seemed unconscious. One was Councilman Tarrlok. The other was Korra. Mako's hear leapt and he resisted the urge to rush over to her. There were two transport trucks there, waiting to take them away. The man who recently joined the group was making noted on a notepad. He was dressed all in black. He was very pale and had a gait that reminded Mako of a vulturewasp. The man finished writing notes and clapped his hands together. His voice was high and cold. It made Mako shiver.

"Right-o! Lets find out where you all belong, shall we?"

He made a shooing gesture at the chi blockers and they arranged all of the prisoners in a line. The man in black moved to the first prisoner and pressed his middle finger and forefinger to the task force member's skull. The task force member shuddered hard, like he was just dunked in a bucket of ice. After a few seconds, the man removed his hand and jotted something down on his clipboard.

"Waterbender."

Mako had no idea how he found that out. He decided that he should stay put to see if he could find out where Korra was being taken. The man walked over to the next person in line. He did the same thing.

"Earthbender."

After he declared their element, a chi blocker picked them up and loaded them into a specific truck. He did this over and over, until he reached Tarrlok.

"Earthbender, Earthbender, Waterbender, Earthbender, Waterbender, ooooh! Well, isn't this a treat! A councilman graces me with his presence!"

He made a flowery gesture at a chi blocker.

"Wake him."

The chi blocker took out a small metal rod and pressed it to Tarrlok's side. Tarkkok sat bolt up right, his mouth open in a silent scream. The man in black chuckled.

"Water and electricity never mix, you know."

The chi blocker removed the rod and Tarrlok collapsed against his bonds, panting. He looked up at the man and Mako heard him gasp.

"You…You're….You're Madman Kayne…"

The man called Kayne swatted the air like he was clearing smoke, a disgusted look on his face.

"Ewww! I HATE that nickname. I prefer 'Insane Kayne' better. Has a nicer ring to it."

Kayne laughed and smirked down at Tarrlok.

"While I poke around your chi passages, I do hope that we get to know each other better."

He looked at another chi blocker.

"Put this Waterbender with the rest. And make sure he's comfortable. Got to make sure the noble Councilman's arrangements are up to standard."

Tarrlok struggled helplessly as he was gagged then tossed into the van with the other Waterbenders. Kayne moved onto Korra. Mako's heart hammered. He was scared. Kayne took his time examining her before he commanded a chi blocker to awaken her.

"Pretty, this one…Hope she stays that way. Wake up the pretty princess, if you please."

Mako watched helplessly as Korra was shocked awake like Tarrlok, except she was able to scream. Kayne hooted as she fell, panting.

"Hoo hoo! The lungs on this one! I like her. Now then, lets take a look see…"

He pressed his fingers against her temple. She stiffened and shuddered like the others. Almost instantly, Kayne jerked away. An animated look of shocked disbelief plastered on his face.

"No…Way…"

He cackled and pranced around like a five year old who just got told he could have any toy he wanted in a toy store.

"YES! YES YES YES YES YES! HA HA!"

He skipped in a circle singing in a mocking tune; "I've got the Avatar! I've got the Avatar!"

His playfulness vanished in an instant. He suddenly looked menacing. Mako understood how he got his nickname.

"The Avatar herself. What an honor. I'm going to have such fun experimenting with you. My research will take off because of you."

Korra stared at him with hard eyes.

"What research?"

"Chi blocking, my dear girl. The one true weapon us non-benders have against your ilk. I'm very close to finding a way to make it permanent."

Korra scoffed. She sounded way braver than Mako felt.

"Get a clue. Your boss already knows how. For a mad scientist, you're not very smart are you."

Kayne chuckled.

"Cheeky. Very cheeky. Yes, I am well aware of Amon's talents. But that skill can only be performed by him, and him alone. Imagine if every non-bender could do what he does."

Even from that distance, Mako could see Korra turn pale. Kayne smirked.

"Now you're getting the big picture. This research could revolutionize the war against bending. And make me a _very _rich man."

He gestured to a chi blocker.

"Put the princess back to sleep and load her up. Take very special care of her."

Mako realized that this was his cue to back out. If he stayed any longer, he could easily get caught. The loading of crates was getting close to his hiding place. He started sneaking back to the hole Skoochy made when he heard Kayne calling out.

"You know, I hated this place. Full of vermin."

Mako heard a swish. A throwing knife missed his head by inches and imbedded itself in a crate behind him. He whirled around to see Kayne looking at him, his arm outstretched. Korra, now unconscious, was being loaded in the van.

"Speaking of vermin…"

Mako was stunned by fear momentarily. Then he turned and bolted, as fast as he could. He heard Kayne shouting after him.

"I SAID, 'Speaking of vermin!'….Oh, for the love of-! Never mind, just get him you idiots!" Go!"

Mako got to the hole long before the chi blockers did. Skoochy was leaning against the wall shifting nervously. He straightened when Mako burst through. Before he could ask Mako what was going on, Mako cut him off.

"Close the door, now!"

Skoochy didn't need to be told twice. He made sure to block the metal door as well. Mako nodded at him.

"Nice touch. Lets move."

They bolted back through the storage room. The man they knocked out earlier was coming to as they left. They raced back down the hallways and only stopped when they reached the fork. They leaned against the wall, panting.

"Which….Which, way…Do….We go?"

Mako tried to remember their initial trip. His eyes flicked open. He pointed left.

"This way."

They ran down the left fork.

"We're almost back to the bakery! We'll go to Air Temple Island and get Tenzin to-"

Mako suddenly noticed he couldn't move his legs. They were pinned together. He fell hard. He turned and saw chi blockers gaining on them. He realized that, if Skoochy came back for him, neither of them would make it out. Roaring, Mako unleashed a heavy salvo of fire at his attackers, stalling them if for only a moment. He unwrapped his scarf from around him and held it out to Skoochy. He spoke as fast as he could and made sure Skoochy understood him.

"Take this. Go tell Tenzin what happened. Use that to help Naga track me. I know she can do it. It's how we found Bolin. Go now!"

Skoochy didn't move for a moment, worry in his eyes. Then he took the scarf and bolted. Mako turned his attention to the advancing chi blockers and fired off as many shots as he could before one snuck behind him and struck him down. Mako lay there, helpless, for about a minute. Kayne came around the corner, panting.

"Woo! Man, you guys are fast. Oh, you got him. Good, good. Now then…"

He glanced down at Mako and did a double take.

"Hang on a tick…I know you…I'm sure I've seen you before."

He observed Mako closely. Mako tried to avoid his eyes. Kayne took his first two fingers and pressed them to Mako's skull. Immediately, Mako felt as if tentacles of ice were slithering their way into his mind. He stiffened and shivered. He felt sick. It was as if Kayne was invading his very soul. Kayne removed his fingers and the feeling vanished. Mako felt drained. Kayne stood up; his face had an expression equal to a toddler on Christmas morning.

"Oh this _is _my lucky day. The Avatar AND a Pro-Bending star? It's almost too much!"

He straightened up, a pleasant smile on his face. His eyes showed only malice.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? Kayne, at your service, big fan. Maybe after I'm finished causing you immense pain I could have your autograph?"

Mako glared up at him, hating his very existence.

"I'm guessing that's a no. Sad. Ah well. Can't win em all, right?"

He turned to leave and carelessly waved a hand behind him.

"Knock him out. Not because he needs to be, but because I just like giving that order."

The last thing Mako heard before he lost consciousness was two chi blockers talking about the sea, a submarine, and Avatar Aang Memorial Island.

End of Part 4

Please review and tell me what you think.

Next: Chapter 5-Declaration of War


	5. Chapter 5: Declaration of War Part 1

Ambush

Chapter 5: Declaration of War

Part 1

Korra sat there, hating everything about Kayne and Amon, trying hard to figure out what she could do to get her and Mako out of this. It hadn't been long since the two left, dragging Mako along with them. She never felt so alone, so helpless. For some reason, she felt that meditation would be the best thing for her to do. She chuckled dryly. Old Tenzin was wearing off on her after all. She sat back and relaxed as much as much as her restraints let her and she closed her eyes. A strange, almost magical sense of calm washed over her. The cold feeling of steel on her knees vanished. The tugging feeling on her wrists from the restraints also vanished. She felt as if she were suspended in a bubble of air.

"_Is this what meditation is really like? Not bad. Tenzin's got the right idea."_

She felt gravity take hold on her again. She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped. She was no longer in her dirty cell. She was in a place she didn't recognize. It was a forested area. A canopy of trees sheltered the ground from the invading rays of sun, except for the few that muscled their way through. Despite the amount of cover, the place shone with an otherworldly light.

"Wow…Where am I?"

Korra looked around. Sitting on a hill, meditating and chanting softly, was what looked like a monkey dressed in a monk's robes. Korra approached him, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Uh, hi."

The monkey peeked at her with one of his eyes.

"Go. Away."

_Well that was rude._

"I'm Korra. Listen, I don't know where I am, could you possibly tell me-"

She was interrupted by the monkey chanting even louder.

"OOOOHMMMMMMM. OOOOOOHMMMMMMM"

The monkey stopped and peeked at her again. All he saw was an aggravated Korra. He started to chant again and was interrupted by Korra grabbing him by his robes.

"You done? Good. Now maybe you can tell me where I am."

They monkey seemed shocked.

"How can you touch me? Wait…Could you be…?"

At this point, Korra was entirely lost.

"What are you talking about?

"Are you…the Avatar?"

Korra nodded. The monkey seemed exasperated.

"Oh no…Not again…."

Korra couldn't help but shake the feeling that she had been to this place before.

"Look, just tell me where I am."

The monkey gave her an incredulous look.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

He sighed and shook his head. He took his finger and pressed it against her forehead. Instantly a scene began to unfold before Korra's eyes. A young boy appeared out of nowhere, looking as confused as Korra felt. He came closer, and Korra could make out the airbender tattoos on his arms and head.

_Aang… _

The young Aang looked around, then approached a very familiar meditating monkey. A scene, not too different than the comedy that Korra just went through, unfolded before her eyes. Aang ran off after the orb he was convinced would help him and the image faded. Korra blinked, trying to get herself oriented. The monkey looked at her expectantly.

"*Ahem* You may release me now, you know."

Korra let him go and he straightened his robes.

"I…I'm in the Spirit World, aren't I?"

The monkey nodded.

"There is an old friend of yours here to help you."

He gestured behind Korra. She turned to find a giant panda walking toward her.

"Hebai!"

Korra stopped. She had no idea where that name came from, she just knew it somehow.

_Ok….That was weird…_

Hebai bent low and allowed her to mound him. He took off in a fast trot. The monkey sighed.

"Good riddance….Huh, Déjà vu."

He returned to his meditation.

* * *

Hebai took Korra further into the forest. Korra looked around in amazement. The place was alive with the sounds of spirits. She could have sworn she saw a fox the size of Air Temple Island pass her and Hebai as they approached a clearing. It was a calm place, with rocks stacked one on top of another. There was a figure sitting in the middle of the stacks of rocks. It was a man. He turned around to face Korra as they approached. The man smiled, his eyes kind and playful. He stood, his airbender robes falling into place around him and his arrow standing out proudly on his shaved head.

"Hiya Korra. Great to finally meet you."

Korra slid off of Hebai and walked toward the spirit of her past life.

"Right back at you…Aang."

Aang's smile widened.

"I'm sure that you have lots of questions that only I can answer. I'm sorry but there will be some that I cannot answer. At least, not yet."

Somewhat disappointed, Korra nodded.

"Aang…I'm in trouble. I got caught by the Equalists and I'm stuck and Mako got caught because of me…"

Korra felt tears flow down her cheeks.

"And I don't know what to do."

Aang's smile saddened.

"When I was young, I was captured by the Fire Nation. Admiral Xiao sent out professional archers. I think they were called the Yu-Yan. Anyway, I was locked up tight, no way out. I thought that this was it, this was the end. You know what happened then?"

Korra shook her head, wiping away her tears.

"Zuko saved me. Well, the Blue Spirit saved me. My point is, that you can't always be able to save yourself. Have faith in your friends."

His expression darkened and he looked away.

"As for love…Just remember to keep a cool head. There were plenty of times when I almost lost Katara because I thought I could beat the world. Trust them. They're stronger than you think. "

Aang's smile returned.

"If Mako's anything like Katara, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Korra laughed. Comparing Master Katara to Mako was nearly unthinkable. But she felt better. Korra felt a strange tug at the back of her mind. Aang gave her an understanding look.

"Ah. It seems out time is at an end. Don't worry, we'll meet again. I will always be available to you. If you need my help, you only need to ask."

Korra felt herself fading she reached out to Aang, desperate to stay. She had so many more questions. Aang waved to her.

"Tell Katara I asked her to go penguin sledding with me. She'll understand."

* * *

Korra's eyes snapped open. She was back in her prison cell, but she felt better than she had when she first came in. She smiled slightly, remembering her conversation with Aang. Her smile disappeared as the door opened and two chi blockers entered, followed closely by Kayne. He spoke in his usual twisted, sarcastic voice.

"Hi. Me again. Listen, I know this may be a bad time, you being all torn up about us keeping your boyfriend at all, but you need to come with us. Oh, and to make sure that you don't decide to try and escape, my lovely assistant here has a pretty little hurt stick and he will use it the moment you try to bend. Kay?"

Korra glared at him, but she nodded. Kayne looked momentarily confused.

"What, no snappy remark? No declaration for your utter hatred for me?"

Korra said nothing. Kayne looked genuinely disappointed.

"Your no fun."

He gestured to the chi blockers and they unlocked Korra's restraints. She gasped in the pain in her legs as they stretched for the first time in hours. A bag was placed over her head before she was led out of the room. She couldn't see anything but blackness. They made a few twists and turns before they stopped at what seemed like a check point. Somewhere nearby, Korra heard a door open and the sound of a police radio filtered out before the door was closed. She turned her attention back to her immediate surroundings as she felt something poke her in the back hard. She walked forward. After a few moments, Korra heard a door open right in front of her. She was roughly shoved through the door. Had her legs been not been confined in a small space, she would have been able to regain her balance. She fell hard. She was hauled to her feet and the bag was yanked off her head. She blinked hard as the harsh light hit her eyes. She was pushed up against something hard and flat. Her arms and legs were spread and were bound. Her eyes finally adjusted and she looked around as best she could. Her blood ran cold. All around her were charts of the human body. Needles plastered all of the charts, notes scribbled next to the charts. Hanging on the back wall with needles sticking out of it, was a body. It was male. He looked as if he were asleep. There was only one piece of furniture in the room. It was a desk under the dead man. Sitting behind the desk was Kayne. He looked up from the papers he was looking over and smirked at Korra.

"I see you've met my assistant, Jax."

He looked up at the dead man.

"He doesn't talk much, but he's oh so useful."

He set the papers down and stood up and walked around the desk. Seeing the look of dread in Korra's face he laughed.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill him. And I'm not going to kill you either. Amon forbids me to kill anyone."

He put on a mockingly serious face and made his voice deep and low, mimicking Amon.

"'If we take any lives, we'll be no better than the monsters we're trying to purify.' Or something along those lines."

He shrugged.

"I personally don't care. I don't see the difference in killing a bender and killing a rabid animal. Both will kill you just the same. Anyway, enough with the distractions. Time to get to work."

He walked toward Korra and pulled out a long, sharp, wicked looking knife. Korra struggled against the restraints but they didn't budge.

"W-wait a minute! I thought you said you weren't going to kill me?"

Kayne smiled.

"I said nothing about maiming you."

Korra closed her eyes as the knife got closer. She heard ripping fabric. She couldn't believe it. He was cutting her clothes off. And there was nothing she could do.

"Didn't know you were into seventeen year old girls." She spat, bitterly.

Kayne chuckled.

"Don't flatter yourself. It's easier to get to the chi passages through just the skin."

He cut away most of her clothing, leaving her undergarments. He expertly flipped the knife around in his hand and flung it over his shoulder. It stuck into Jax, right over his heart. Without looking back, Kayne smirked.

"Bulls eye. Now then, shall we?"

His expression grew serious as he examined her. He muttered what Korra thought was gibberish. He traced his fingers slightly above her body, making complex patterns.

"I see….I see…..Fascinating….I wonder."

He grinned at her.

"This may sting…A lot."

He pressed his index finger against her heart and twisted. Pain wracked her body and her veins sang with agony. It took all of her strength to remain conscious. She could barely hear Kayne's gleeful cackle over her own screams. As suddenly as it appeared, the pain vanished. Kayne had removed his finger. He was looking at something Korra couldn't see. His head was cocked to the side and he was frowning.

"I'm sorry but I have an unannounced interruption. We will have to continue this momentarily unless this interruption wasn't worth my time, in which I will need to permanently injure someone. Back in a moment."

He walked out of Korra's line of sight. She heard a strange whirring sound. She heard Kayne talking and realized that he was on the phone.

"This better be good….Well, if Amon wants me he can come get me himself. I am not some pet he can summon at his will….He found _what_?…No one touches the body until I get there."

She heard him hang up the phone and hurry out of the room. She was alone. She had no idea what he had planned for her, but she didn't want to find out. Then she remembered what Aang had said.

"_Have faith in your friends."_

As much as she hated it, Korra knew the only way that she would ever escape, is if she waited for rescue. In the mean time, she would have to just have to endure the torture that Kayne-Her thoughts trailed off as she heard the door open. Korra mentally prepared herself for the worst. A small, dirty face appeared in front of her. It smiled a toothy grin.

"Hey there. You look like you could use a hand." The boy hurried around and undid Korra's restraints. She sat up, rubbing her wrists.

"Thanks. I owe you more than you know. Wait…I know you. You forced Mako to pay you for information when Bolin was kidnapped."

The boy shuffled his feet a bit.

"Well…When you live on the street, any money you can get means you can live another day. Name's Skoochy, by the way."

Korra shook his hand.

"Korra. Got a way out?"

"Sure, but I think we should get Mako first."

"Right. That first. You know where he is?"

Skoochy nodded.

"Follow me. We need to be quick. I don't know just how long my distraction will work."

Korra nodded. She started out the door, then realized Skoochy hadn't moved.

"What?"

Skoochy looked down, blushing.

"You might want to put some clothes on first."

Korra found herself blushing as well.

"Ah. Right. Good idea."

She salvaged as much clothing as she could. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

"Ok. Let's go."

The two rushed off to find Mako.

* * *

Mako ran as fast as he could. Korra was reaching for him, calling his name. He needed to reach her before she faded to the darkness. She reached for him, her eyes pleading…Mako jolted awake. He was sweating and his head was throbbing. All in a flash, he remembered what happened to him and how he got there. He tried to stand, but he was chained to the ground by his wrists. He cried out for help, but he knew that it wouldn't do much. He wondered how long it's been since he was brought to…Wherever he was. He remembered vaguely a chi blocker mentioning Avatar Aang Memorial Island. His head throbbed whenever he tried to think hard. He had no idea what he was going to do.

"I'm sorry Korra…I failed you…"

"Oh, your being to hard on yourself. You haven't failed me just yet."

"Korra?"

He looked around and there she was, standing in the doorway. She looked horrible. She looked tired, battered, dirty, and bruised. But she was alive. And she was smiling at him. Mako felt tears of relief stinging his eyes.

"This feel backwards, don't you think?"

She chuckled softly as she undid his restraints.

"I'll sweep you off your feet later. For now, let's just focus on getting out of here."

He grabbed her hand as she moved to stand up.

"Korra…"

He looked into her eyes. He remembered just how close he was to losing her. His emotions were in turmoil as he scrambled to find the right words.

"I…Well…I'm glad your ok."

She smiled. His heart leapt as her eyes sparkled.

"Me too. Come on. Let's go."

She pulled him to his feet. The left the cell to find a very amused Skoochy leaning up against the door.

"Oh, you done makin' out? Cuz I wanna get out of here as soon as possible, if that's ok with you guys."

The pair blushed and looked away from each other. Mako cleared his throat.

"So, any idea how we get out of here?"

Skoochy nodded.

"I got an escape route marked out. Follow me."

The three of them started off. Skoochy led them through tunnels filled with cells similar to their own. Korra looked around.

"Wait, what about the other members of the Task Force? Where are they?"

Skoochy shook his head.

"I don't know where they are. This complex is bigger that you think. They're probably in a different section."

"Skoochy, how do you know all this?"

He pulled out a rolled up piece of paper.

"Map. Nicked it off of a chi blocker on my way in."

At that moment, their was a strange crackling noise, and they all looked around. A voice came out of nowhere.

"THERE IS AN INTRUDER IN THE COMPLEX. THE AVATAR HAS ESCAPED-"

There was a jostling and then Kayne's voice screamed.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE OTHER BRATS. KILL THEM IF YOU WANT BUT BRING ME THE AVATAR!"

The three looked at each other.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

Skoochy pulled out his map.

"I'm on it."

With Skoochy in the lead, the three navigated the complex, avoiding as many checkpoints as possible. Unfortunately, their luck ran out. They turned a corner, and almost collided with a patrol of chi blockers. Within moments, the groups sprang into action. Mako unleashed a torrent of flames at the patrol as Korra and Skoochy threw boulders at them. The chi blockers dodged and evaded every attack. Korra saw an opening and took it. She twisted her wrist and trapped two of the chi blocker's feet. They were quickly dropped by fireballs from Mako. The other two threw down smoke bombs and disappeared into the smoke. After the smoke cleared, the three of them were alone. They looked around for any sign of the chi blockers, but they were gone. Skoochy frantically scanned the map.

"Ok, if we head down this path. there is a giant storage area that has an elevator that leads to the surface. Now, we need to be careful because of-"

Mako shushed Skoochy.

"You hear that?"

All three of them listened closely. The sound of padded footfalls echoed down the hallway. Skoochy paled.

"Re-enforcements. Lots of them. Run!"

All three of them bolted down the hallway. They ran as fast as they could, flying past cells, labs, supply closets, and personal quarters. They turned a corner and saw a huge doorway that led into the giant storage area. As they started toward it, a door behind them opened and two chi blockers rushed out, followed by Kayne.

"I grow tired of this little game. GET THEM!"

Korra turned as the chi blockers reached them. She began to shoot a jet of flames, but the chi blocker was faster. He caught her arm and the flames stopped, her arm dangled useless by her side. She flipped backward and slammed a rock into the chi blocker's chin. As she landed, she saw Mako doing battle with the other as Skoochy took on Kayne. Korra was unpleasantly surprised to see that the crazed scientist was a decent fighter. He laughed as he dodged everything that Skoochy threw at him. Mako quickly came to the rescue after dispatching the other chi blocker. Together they drove Kayne against the wall and, with one well timed duel attack, took him down. Kayne fell to his knees panting.

"No…Not yet…My research…"

Skoochy and Mako hurried over to Korra.

"Korra, you alright?"

Korra nodded. She could already feel the numbness leaving her arm.

"I'll be fine. We need to go."

They turned to leave.

"NO!"

Many things happened in quick succession. She heard Kayne's infuriated scream, a faint whistle, Skoochy's cry of "Mako, look out!", and the noise of heavy earth being moved. Next thing she knew, Mako had crashed into her and they were both on the ground. They untangled themselves from each other and looked up. Kayne was unconscious, the boulder Skoochy hit him with lying beside his body. Skoochy was standing there, his back towards Mako and Korra.

"Mako, you ok?"

Skoochy's voice sounded strangely quiet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's wrong?"

It was as if Skoochy didn't even hear the second question.

"That's…That's good."

Skoochy fell to his knees, and The two could easily see the dagger protruding from Skoochy's chest, right where his heart was.

End Chapter 5 Part 1

Please leave a review and tell em what you think.

Next-Chapter 5: Declaration of War Part 2


	6. Chapter 5: Declaration of War Part 2

Ambush

Chapter 5: Declaration of War Part 2

It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. Mako heard Skoochy yell at him to look out. He turned to see, but before he could, Skoochy had shoved him to the side. He crashed into Korra and the two fell. Mako untangled himself from Korra and looked up. He heard Skoochy ask him if he was alright. He sounded strange. Mako told him he was fine. Then Skoochy fell to his knees. Mako's eyes widened as he saw the dagger.

_No…_

He rushed toward Skoochy as his friend began to fall backward.

_No…_

He caught Skoochy before he hit the ground.

"SKOOCHY!"

He was dead. His face was serene and his lips turned up into a slight smirk. But his eyes held no sparkle. They were dark and empty.

_You can't be dead._

Mako felt the tears sting his eyes as he looked into the face of his dead friend.

_You can't be dead._

His hand shook as he closed his friend's eyes for the last time and removed the dagger from his heart. It was stained red.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Mako let out a primal scream of grief and anguish. Memories flooded his mind. He thought about Skoochy's dreams and how they would never come true. He thought about the gang. He didn't know how he would tell them. He cradled Skoochy's lifeless body and wept.

* * *

Korra couldn't move as she saw Mako rush for his friend. She was shaken to the core. She watched as he carefully removed the dagger. It was red almost to the hilt. Korra felt the tears begin to flow as she realized there was no way that he could have survived. Mako threw his head back and let out an anguished scream. He sounded so hurt, so angry, so lost, it shattered Korra's very being. She watched the man she loved weep over his fallen friend. She felt so useless. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. The grieving pair were brought back to reality by the sound of scurrying. It was too loud to be rats, and if it were, there were thousands of them. Chi blockers began to fall from the darkness. They seemed to come from all directions. There were about sixty of them. There was no possible way that they would escape. Four of them charged forward, easily capturing Korra due to her surprise. Another four came at Mako. Korra saw Mako explode, his very being becoming surrounded in flame. The chi blockers backed off, momentarily stunned by the sheer intensity of the flames. Korra shielded herself from the glare. Mako stood after laying Skoochy on the ground gently. He turned to survey the room. Korra looked in his eyes and froze. Tears continued to flow, but his eyes showed pure hatred and anger. He looked at every chi blocker with his gaze.

"One step closer…and I will kill you ALL."

A few chi blockers actually backed away a few steps. The braver ones advanced. They leapt at Mako and threw their bolas. Mako moved as gracefully as Korra had ever seen him. He disintegrated the bolas and, with a whirling kick, sent all four chi blockers into the wall. They did not get up. The others advanced, a silent mass of unarmed strikes. Mako launched himself into a dance of flame. Several of the chi blockers went down before two managed to penetrate his defenses and disabled his bending. Even though he couldn't bend, Mako still fought. He threw punches, kicked and even bit a few chi blockers before he was bound. He lay there, panting. The group of chi blockers parted as a battered, bruised, and extremely angry Kayne hobbled through. Korra saw, with a twinge of satisfaction, that he was bleeding heavily. He gazed upon the three escapees, his eyes holding none of his usual cruel mirth. They were colder than Korra had ever seen them, full of nothing but hatred. Kayne spat a mouthful of blood on Skoochy's corpse as he passed him.

"Insolent brat…"

Korra felt an uncontrollable rage begin to rise in her, along with something else. She couldn't exactly tell what it was but it felt powerful. Kayne reached Mako. He looked at the fallen chi blockers, who were standing, but very badly burned. He leveled his gaze at Mako.

"Be very, very happy that Amon is on his way. Otherwise, you would not be breathing, just like your other friend."

Korra felt the rage grow and she felt herself getting closer to breaking the barrier to that unknown power.

"There is only one thing I regret; not being able to see the look on his face as he died."

Mako's voice shook, thick with rage, hate, and sorrow.

"Skoochy was twice the man you'll ever be, and only a coward would kill him the way you did."

Kayne turned and picked up the knife, still covered in Skoochy's blood. He licked the blood off of the tip.

"Did you know…The average human body can withstand up to 45 Del units of pain?"

He whirled; his arm traveling so fast, Korra could barely keep track of it. She heard Mako cry out in pain as a large gash opened up on his chest. Kayne shambled up to him and lifted his index finger. His next words were a growl of psychotic joy,

"Here's 75."

He plunged his finger into the wound. Mako screamed. His voice echoed off the walls. Korra watched as he writhed in agony. Then he did something that pushed Korra over the edge. He began begging.

"PLEASE! MAKE THE PAIN STOP! AAAH! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

Korra's rage overflowed and the barrier that held that mysterious power broke. She felt energy like she'd never felt before flow throughout her body and swirl around her. The chi blockers nearest to her noticed something happening and quickly moved to incapacitate her. Korra thought, _"No."_ The chi blockers were blasted away by an incredibly strong burst of air. Korra rose into the air, and the air around her began to swirl faster and faster, until she was encased in a pulsing sphere of wind. She had never felt so alive in her life. He looked down at the scene before her. Kayne had removed his finger and was staring up at her, dumbfounded. The chi blockers were scrambling into battle positions or were backing away quickly. Mako lay on the floor, twitching. Korra turned her gaze towards Kayne. The madman looked frightened for the first time. He started to back away. Korra wouldn't have any of that. With an easy flick of her wrist, a pillar of earth slammed into Kayne's back and sent him flying towards her. She punched out hard and sent a solid jet of wind to meet him. It hit him head on and sent him flying into the back wall. The chi blockers sprang into action. Forty bolas came whipping at her, only to be destroyed by whirling pillars of flame. Korra felt her rage grow along with her power. Chi blocker after chi blocker fell to her power. Soon, they stopped fighting back. It turned from a fight into a massacre. With every one Korra struck down, she felt her power grow along with her rage. She let out a roar, and flames erupted from her mouth. Her voice wasn't the only one that sounded. Among it was the voice of thousands of year's worth of power. A blue hand grabbed her shoulder.

"_Korra!"_

It was Aang.

_"Don't let the power consume you! If you let it, it will grow beyond your control! You must calm down!"_

Korra could see her reflection in his eyes. It was terrifying. Her hair had become undone and it flowed out behind her. Her face was twisted in an expression of hatred, and her eyes were glowing bright blue. Korra knew she should calm down….But the power felt so good, the rage felt so right. She needed it…She needed to destroy, punish, make the one's who did wrong pay! Her eyes fell on Mako. He was looking at her with a shocked expression. There was fear in his eyes. Korra felt a pang.

_He…He's afraid…Of me._

Slowly, Korra felt the rage drain from her. She drifted slowly to the ground. She felt drained. The last thing she saw before she passed out was Aang shaking his head and looking on her with sad eyes.

* * *

The pain was unbearable. Mako never felt a pain like this in his life. He couldn't help but scream. He needed the pain to stop. He would die if it didn't. He did the only thing he could think of to get the pain to stop; he started begging. As much as he hated it, he was at Kayne's mercy. If begging would spare his life, then he would do so. It seemed that it worked. The pain suddenly stopped. Mako found himself twitching uncontrollably. He took several deep breaths to try to calm himself down. Suddenly, there was a roar of wind. Mako looked up and his eyes went wide. Korra was floating about five feet off the ground, encased in a swirling sphere of air. Her hair had become undone and was flowing around her wildly. Her face was contorted into a look of pure rage and her eyes glowed a bright blue. She bore down on Kayne, who was backing away with a look of genuine fear on his face. Korra struck out at him and the next thing Mako knew, Kayne was slammed against the back wall. Leaving Mako on the ground, forgotten, the rest of the chi blockers charged at Korra. Their charge quickly became a rush for cover. Mako had never seen anyone bend like this. Korra was a never-ending flow of raw power as chi blocker after chi blocker fell. When she roared, Mako didn't hear her voice. He heard a power, as ancient as time itself, escape from her mouth. It was like she wasn't even Korra anymore. He looked at her and, for the first time ever, he was afraid of her.

"_That…That can't be Korra…" _

Images of her flashed before his mind: The smile on her face as they won their first pro-bending match together. How beautiful she looked in her traditional water tribe gown at Tarrlok's party. The shy smile she gave him after they kissed for the first time…The alien look of pure rage etched into her features. Mako realized that she was looking right at him. Something changed in her face. The rage seemed to drain from her along with her energy as she descended slowly. She touched the ground and the sphere of air dissipated. All of her strength seemed to leave her and she collapsed to the ground.

"Korra!"

Mako struggled against his bonds. They loosened enough that he could twitch his wrist and burned through the ropes. He shakily stood, wincing as the deep cut in his chest throbbed. He looked around at the scene before him. Chi blockers lay everywhere. Whether or not they were dead, Mako didn't feel to inclined to see. He also noticed that Kayne was missing. He stumbled over to Korra to check to see if she was alright. She wasn't moving. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her chest rise and fall rhythmically. She was unconscious, nothing more. There was a loud clang and a grinding noise. Mako looked around to see an elevator coming down. He was tired, and hurt. He was in no condition to fight. Even so…

"_I need to protect Korra…"_

He assumed a fighting stance as best he could. The elevator doors opened. Six Metalbender cops swarmed in, creating a perimeter. Chief Beifong and Tenzin followed them closely. Bolin and Asami were close behind them. Bolin and Asami instantly rushed towards Mako. Mako finally relaxed. His strength finally left him as he collapsed. Asami was there to catch him. He saw there were tears in her eyes. He vaguely felt her stroking his face.

"Oh, Mako…"

Bolin stood nearby, looking at Skoochy's body. And then he looked at Mako.

"Mako…Is…is he?…"

Mako nodded gently.

Bolin fell to his knees, his eyes filling with tears.

"No…"

Tenzin and Lin hurried over to them. Tenzin tended to Korra as Lin strode over to Mako.

"Are you alright? What happened here?"

Mako tried to answer her, but found that his voice wouldn't work. All that came out was a strained sob. Fresh tears began to fall as he fully realized his situation. Asami held him close, barely keeping her own tears back. Lin's usual steely face softened.

"We'll talk about this later, right now, we need to get you out of here."

A Metalbender officer helped Mako to his feet along with his brother, and the two helped him onto the elevator. Tenzin was carrying Korra. Two Metalbenders had Skoochy's body on a stretcher. The party turned to leave…and saw Amon standing in the doorway to the storage unit. He was alone. All of the police force entered a ready position. Amon held up his hands, a sign of non-action. The Metalbenders remained at the ready. For a moment, no one moved. Then, Chief Beifong gave the order.

"Take him!"

The Metalbenders sprang into action. Amon easily avoided all of their attacks. Using their strength against each other, he effortlessly took down the officers, throwing them back into the elevator one by one. Tenzin, who had lain Korra down gently, assumed a fighting stance. Amon raised his hands once more. One of them held a remote.

"I have been called many things. A murderer will never be one of them."

He pressed a button on the remote and the elevator doors slammed shut. As the elevator began to move to the surface, Chief Beifong slammed her fist into the door in frustration.

* * *

Mako stood, staring at the headstone. Everyone else had already left, except for him and Bolin. Mako thought back to the funeral. No one had much to say, except for them. There were plenty of tears. Jinora took it especially hard, although Mako wasn't quite sure why. To his knowledge, he didn't even know the two had met. Asami was at his side the whole time, her fingers interwoven with his. His gaze was constantly drawn to Korra. She stood as still as a statue, silent tears falling down her face. Even when she was crying she looked beautiful. Mako felt guilty thinking it, but he couldn't deny that it was true. He felt even more guilty because he shouldn't be thinking about these things after what had happened. Mako felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was slightly surprised to see, not Asami, but Korra. Mako noticed that Bolin had left. They were alone. His eyes met hers. A thousand unspoken things passed between them. He pulled her into a warm embrace. They stayed that way for a long while. When she spoke, her words were slightly muffled against his shoulder.

"I honestly didn't believe you would come for me."

Mako felt slightly shocked.

"What made you think that?"

"Well…After all those things I said to you…I thought…"

He pulled away. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked up into his. Her lips were parted slightly. Mako brushed her face gently with his fingertips.

"You thought wrong…"

Korra closed her eyes and leaned forward. Their lips met in a gentle kiss. Mako pulled away quickly and turned away from her. His heart was pounding, but his words were steady and true.

"I can't….WE can't…"

Her voice was filled with pain.

"I…You're right…I'm sorry…Won't happen again."

He turned to see Korra run away. He felt terrible, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. A small voice spoke in the back of his head.

"_Was it?"_

He heard a rustle coming from some near by bushes. He could have sworn he saw Asami's dark hair whip around the corner and vanish from sight.

* * *

The doors to City Hall were closed as Chief Beifong, Tenzin, and the remaining council members discussed what further action needed to be taken. Bolin, Mako, Korra, and Asami waited outside. Korra had just finished briefing the council on her experience. Mako hadn't spoken to her or even made eye contact since the funeral. Even Bolin was less cheery than usual. He somberly bended a rock around for Pabu to play with as all four of them Waited for Tenzin. An hour later, the doors opened and Tenzin walked out. He looked grave.

"The council has decided that an immediate rescue force be put together to rescue Tarrlok and the other Task Force members."

The four teens looked at each other. Korra gave Tenzin a quizzical look.

"Isn't that good news? Why the long face then?"

Tenzin sighed.

"It has been officially declared that the young boys death was an act against the bending citizens of Republic City, and according to the law, should be considered a Declaration Of War…As of today, Republic City has entered Civil War."

End Chapter 5 Part 2

Please review and tell me what you think.

Also, as a small request from me, I have invented 2 new characters. I'm curious to see what my readers think about them. Please comment on them as well.

Next: Chapter 6-Call to Battle


	7. Chapter 6: Call to Battle

Ambush

Chapter 6: Call to Battle

Korra sat next to Tenzin in a City Hall conference room, trying to follow along as Chief Beifong was debriefing the council on the progress they had made that week. It has been almost a month since Tenzin had informed the public on what the Equalists have done. They didn't take it well. Tensions, which were already high due to the previous Equalist actions, snapped. Neighbor turned against neighbor, friend against friend. Even some families had turned on each other. In one short month, the city had divided itself into three factions. The non benders, who were infuriated by Skoochy's murder, forged the Yi Alliance. They believed that, if not for the tyranny of benders, the boy would have lived. The benders of the city, who were sick and tired of living in fear of Amon and the Equalists, decided to fight back and formed a militia who called themselves the Freedom Fighters in honor of a historical group of the same name. Then there was the police, who just wanted to maintain order. So far, only threats and a few small skirmishes have occurred, but it was obvious that it wouldn't be long until the factions became more violent and the city turned into a battlefield. Chief Beifong was trying desperately to keep that from happening. Korra shook her head and tried to focus on the last of Chief Beifong's report.

"…And we heard rumors about the Y.A. stockpiling weapons at a warehouse near Future Industries' main factory. We sent in a recon team and they turned up nothing. We aren't ruling anything out at the moment, but we've decided to postpone the investigation for now and follow up more promising leads."

She sighed and put her hands on the table.

"I'm doing the best I can, but we can't hold this peace much longer."

She looked at Tenzin.

"How are the peace talks coming?"

Tenzin stood and addressed the room.

"I've finally been able to get into contact with the leader of the Freedom Fighters. He calls himself San. He was rather reluctant to engage in peace talks, but I convinced him to consider it. As for the Yi Alliance…They refuse to talk to me. I don't blame them. It will be difficult, if not impossible to contact them."

The councilwoman representing the Fire Nation stood.

"Have we heard anything from the Equalists themselves?"

Tenzin shook his head and looked at Chief Beifong.

"No one has heard anything from the Equalists for weeks."

Tenzin glanced at Korra before speaking.

"There haven't been any leads as to where they've gone either. However-"

Tenzin was interrupted by a council page bursting through the door. He skidded to a halt, panting.

"Council man Tenzin, sir! There's a fight going on between the Alliance and the Freedom Fighters near central station. A patrol got caught in the crossfire and they're requesting backup."

Chief Beifong nodded quickly and motioned to her second in command.

"Get me two squads, and four large transport vehicles. I want them there twenty minutes ago."

Her second in command bowed.

"Right away ma'am."

He left and, as Chief Beifong moved to follow, Korra made a decision. She stood.

"I'm coming too."

Tenzin began to object immediately.

"Korra, I don't think-"

To everyone's surprise, Chief Beifong came to Korra's defense.

"She's not a child, Tenzin. If she wants to make herself useful, then let her. I need all the manpower I can get, and that girl's worth at least 3 of my best men. And if that's a problem for you, feel free to write me a very angry letter and I'll get to it as soon as I'm done saving the city."

A shocked silence followed her outburst. Tenzin looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Chief Beifong glanced briefly at Korra before she left.

"We leave in thirty seconds. Your not with us, you get left behind."

* * *

Korra sat alongside Chief Beifong and ten other Meltalbender cops in the back of a police truck. Korra glanced at Chief Beifong as the truck raced down the street. Korra thought back to what she said to Tenzin. That was the first time she's ever heard Chief Beifong speak highly of her. She seemed very tense, so Korra hesitated before speaking to her.

"Umm….Chief Beifong?"

She responded without looking at Korra.

"What is it?"

"Thanks for, you know….Standing up for me…Back there…To Tenzin…"

Chief Beifong was silent for a while. Korra was afraid that she overstepped the line.

"Don't mention it."

Korra thought she misheard. Chief Beifong's voice was _never_ that gentle. She surprised Korra even more by turning toward her and giving her a consoling look.

"Korra, I'm not even going to begin to say that I know what you've been through. I've had a few attempts on my life and some close calls, but…"

She shook her head.

"This Kayne character….I've heard of him a few times before. Stories. None of them pleasant. And for you to have gone toe-to-toe with him and live…You've got guts. And for that, you've earned my respect."

Korra realized, a few seconds too late, that her mouth was hanging open. She shut it quickly. Chief Beifong let out a short laugh and gave Korra a small smile.

"Don't get overexcited. I only allowed you on this mission because I want to see what you can do. Disappoint me and this is the last time you ever go near my city while it's in crisis. Got me?"

Korra returned the smile, the promise of battle starting a fire in her heart.

"Just you try to keep up."

There was a knock on the wall dividing the cab from the back and a small panel opened up.

"Ma'am, ETA is two minutes."

The panel closed and Chief Beifong addressed her men.

"Alright, listen up. What we got here is no ordinary standard rescue op. Securing the patrol team and creating a perimeter is our first objective. Second, we must prevent, or contain any and all violent encounters. Arrest anyone who has violated this objective. I want no or minimum casualties on this mission. Am I understood?"

The entire unit responded in unison.

"YES MA'AM."

Chief Beifong nodded. The panel slid open again.

"Twenty seconds."

Twenty seconds later, the doors swung open.

"Move!"

Everyone immediately jumped out. Korra jumped out followed closely by Chief Beifong. Korra placed herself in a ready stance, surveying the area. It was deserted and deathly quiet. Something was wrong. Chief Beifong's eyes narrowed. She looked around and muttered to herself.

"Was our intel correct…? Something's not right."

She gestured to the other group of Metalbenders.

"Canvas the area then report back to me."

"Ma'am!"

They departed. Chief Beifong returned to the truck and grabbed a handheld radio.

"Squad Seven, can you hear me?"

The radio crackled then a man's voice came over.

"Yes Ma'am. Loud and clear."

"Good, let me know what you see."

"So far, it just seems like abandoned apartments. No signs of life anywhere. Not even lizardcrows seem to want to-Wait…"

Korra tensed. She had a really bad feeling, but she couldn't seem to place it. She looked at Chief Beifong, who's attention was on the radio.

"Ming, report."

"I don't know. We caught movement. It could have been just an animal, or-What was that? Jin? Where is Jin?"

A faint scream of pain and terror came over the radio. Chief Beifong looked slightly worried.

"Ming, what is going on?"

The radio crackled some more.

"…Don't know where he is! Jin, Lee, Xia, and Mao are all missing!"

More static.

"…Are they? I can't see them!…"

More static cut him off. Chief Beifong slammed her hand down on the truck's front, denting it.

"Damn it Ming, tell me what the hell is going on?"

Static. Then what sounded like panting came through.

"Chief…If you can hear me, get out now! It's an amfbush! It was a set up! Equalist chi blockers and Yi Alliance are everywhere! Get out while….By the Spirits…What is that thing? GYAAAAH-!"

The radio went dead.

"Ming? Come in, Ming!"

Chief Beifong threw the radio on the ground in frustration. Just then, an inhuman scream echoed around the area. Korra looked around frantically, fear creeping into her every thought. She felt a sense of paranoia grip her. Every time she looked into a shadow, she thought she saw movement. Every dark corner, she thought she saw a pair of gleaming eyes stare back at her before disappearing. She felt like she was being watched…Hunted. The other Metalbender cops looked the same. Only Chief Beifong showed no signs of fear.

"Stay strong. Keep this perimeter secure."

There was a loud crash behind Korra and she whipped around. A window had fallen out of the second floor of a nearby apartment and broke on the ground. There was a shuffling noise coming from a nearby alley. All of the cops turned their attention towards that alley, metal wires at the ready. Out of the alleyway, came a Metalbender cop. Korra started to feel relieved, then she got a good look at him. Her stomach churned. She looked away just to keep her head from spinning. The Metalbender cop's leg was mangled and it left a trail of blood as he dragged it behind him. He was cut all over, his armor shredded. He was missing an arm just above the elbow. As he entered the clearing, he collapsed. Metalbenders rushed to his aid, along with Chief Beifong.

"Ming! What happened? Who did this to you?"

Ming's voice sounded like gravel scraping against each other.

"Ch…Chi blockers…Distraction…G-g-got…surrounded…Thing…Huge…Claws of…Platinum…Unstoppable…"

Ming coughed and blood tricked out of the side of his mouth.

"I…I'm s-s-s-orry…Chief…I…Failed you…"

His eyes dimmed and he let out a final ragged breath. Chief Beifong closed her eyes.

"You didn't fail me Ming…You were one of the best I had…"

She opened her eyes and examined his body.

"Whatever did this, It was strong. Mere platinum blades can't penetrate this armor. It would take the strength of a tigerdillo to put a scratch on it."

She suddenly became very alert. She stood up looked over at another alleyway. Her eyes went wide.

"What the hell is that…"

Korra turned and saw it shamble out of the alleyway. It stood six feet tall, although it was hunched over. It looked like it used to be human. Its face was wrapped in bloody rags. All that was showing was a gaping mouth and one bloodshot eye. It's knees had been reversed so it walked like an ostrich horse. It's feet were altered to be three-pronged. At the end were three sharp talons. It's arms seemed to be pure muscle and grafted on them were giant claws made of platinum. It let out a scream, the same inhuman noise that Korra heard before. It's eye darted round and then it found a target. It charged right at Korra. Korra felt herself begin to panic as she stumbled backwards. Primal instinct took over as she bended a wall in front of herself. The thing barely slowed as it crashed through the wall and continued it's charge. Korra tripped over something behind her and could only watch in terror as the thing bore down on her. Suddenly, four pairs of wires entangled themselves around the thing, halting it's advance. It looked around, confused and angry. Korra turned to see Chief Beifong and four other Metalbender cops standing in a formation, their wires taught. Their eyes met briefly and Korra felt a new wave of bravery wash over her. She leapt up and, with a whirling kick, blasted the thing up into the air with a pillar of earth. The thing flew high only to be slammed back down into the ground by the Metalbenders. Korra heard a Metalbender cry out and turned to see chi blockers appear out of nowhere. Chief Beifong back flipped out of the reach of one and landed by Korra.

"Ready to show me what you're made of?"

Korra nodded, a little shaken but willing to fight. The two suddenly found themselves surrounded by chi blockers. For a moment, no one moved. A chi blocker threw a bolas at Chief Beifong and the pair sprang into action. Their movements flowed, their actions completely in sync. As Chief Beifong flung one chi blocker into another with her wires, Korra had her back, slamming another two into a nearby apartment with a combination of fire and earth. They dispatched the rest of the chi blockers with ease. Panting, Korra straightened up, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Chief Beifong looked winded as well.

"Not bad…For a rookie."

Korra gave her a small smile.

"I'm just getting started."

The two were brought back to the battle as the thing roared again. They turned to see that the remainder of the chi blockers were either caught or had fled. The five remaining Metalbender cops were desperately trying to fight off the thing with little success. Korra saw it bearing down on a Metalbender and she closed her eyes, concentrating hard.

_Remember your training. Remember your training._

She let out a breath and opened her eyes. She turned gracefully and struck out with her palm. A burst of air slammed the thing through the wall of an abandoned building nearby. Korra didn't have time to celebrate her victory as Chief Beifong called out to her. She immediately knew what to do. She grounded herself next to Chief Beifong and they both raised their hands. Korra concentrated as hard as she could, trying to feel the structure of the building itself. In unison, the two brought their hands down and stomped the ground. The entire building collapsed, trapping or killing the thing inside. Korra dearly hoped it was the second. It was over. The remaining Metalbender cops went around and collected their fellow officers. As they were about to leave, they heard a strange noise. It was someone clapping. They whirled around and saw Kayne emerge from the darkness, clapping slowly. The force immediately stood at the ready. Beside Kayne came two robed and hooded figures. They moved silently as though they were ghosts. Kayne stopped a good distance away, out of the Metalbender's range.

"Bravo, bravo. I must say, I thought he would have killed more of you before you eventually took him down. Most impressive."

Chief Beifong signaled an advance. Somewhat reluctantly, the Metalbenders advanced. Jayne rocked back and forth on his feet, smiling gleefully.

"Oh I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Oh boys!"

Out of the darkness came at least seven more of those things. They shambled forward, their bloodshot eyes darting around. Kayne held up a hand, and they stopped.

"My friends here get so jealous if anyone else gets my attention."

He let out his usual cackle. Korra could hear Chief Beifong swear under her breath. There were just too many. Chief Beifong signaled the retreat. They backed up until they got to the trucks. The Metalbender cops got in. Korra was about to when she saw that Chief Beifong wasn't following. Korra decided to wait for her, just in case Kayne made a rash decision…She yelled over to Kayne.

"You're just going to let us go?"

"Umm…Yeah! That's the general idea!"

Chief Beifong said something that made Korra do a double take.

"Why? Why let us go when you could just kill us now and get it over with?"

There was a pause, where Korra thought for a horrible minute that Kayne was considering commanding those things to attack. Then she realized he was laughing.

"Where's the fun in that? No! I'm going to let you live so you can tell your precious city that, very soon, it will be placed under new leadership!"

He made a wide sweeping gesture at the things that stood behind him.

"And that, to all of those who oppose me, they get to have a nice long chat with my Maulers."

Chief Beifong's jaw set, but she turned and walked towards the truck. Just before Korra got in, she heard Kayne call out to her.

"Oh Avatar! One last thing! Say 'hi' to Amon for me!"

The trucks sped out of the area, leaving Korra to wonder just what Kayne meant.

* * *

They returned to Air Temple Island just before dark. Tenzin was there to greet them. He looked relieved for a moment, then his face became graver than ever.

"There is something that you both need to see. Immediately."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned with a flourish of his robes and walked briskly towards his house. Chief Beifong and Korra hurried to catch up. They got to the dining room when Tenzin stopped. He turned to look at Korra and Chief Beifong.

"We found him washed up on shore a little while ago. He was starving and very weak. He only just came to not twenty minutes ago."

With that, Tenzin opened the door. Sitting at the table, looking tired and weak, was Tarrlok. Korra's mouth dropped.

"Tarrlok?"

He looked up at them and smiled weakly.

"Well, well, well. Avatar Korra. How nice to see you."

He nodded to Chief Beifong.

"And you as well, Chief Beifong."

Chief Beifong looked stunned.

"Councilman…We thought you were dead. After we rescued the Avatar and her friends we sent down an entire unit to raid the place. Everyone was gone. The trail went cold after a few days."

Tarrlok gave her a wry smile.

"I'm not as weak as I look. Well, maybe not now."

"How did you escape?"

Tarrlok's smile faded and he looked down.

"By doing things that I'm not proud of…I had never taken a life before, but I had no choice…"

As Tarrlok went on to explain his escape, Tenzin pulled Korra aside. He spoke to her in a low, hurried voice.

"Korra, when you went on that mission, did you run into Kayne?"

Korra blinked for a minute.

"How did you-?"

Tenzin gestured for her to follow him and he led her to an underground chamber. In the chamber was only a table, and on it, was a large box. Tenzin handed Korra a note.

"This came for you…It's from Kayne."

Korra's blood ran cold as she opened the letter.

_To the Avatar. Love Kayne. This is only the beginning._

Korra remembered what Kayne said to her as she left during the mission.

"_Say hi to Amon for me."_

Korra dropped the note and looked over at the crate.

"No…"

She rushed over and jerked the lid off of the crate. Lying inside, was Amon. Korra backed up against the wall. She had no idea what to feel. There, lying in a crate, was her enemy. She thought she would feel happy. She should have felt happy. But all she felt was shock and a twinge of sadness. She looked over at Tenzin who had an understanding look on his face.

"I was afraid of this…"

At that moment, Chief Beifong burst into the room, carrying a radio. She glanced briefly at Amon's body before plugging in the radio.

"Tenzin, we have a problem. Listen."

She turned up the volume and a male voice sounded.

"Ladies and gentleman, non-benders of all ages! I give you Kayne!"

A roar of applause and cheers came over the radio. Korra felt sick.

"_There are people who actually _like _that creep?"_

Kayne's voice came over the radio.

"Hellooooooo Republic City!"

More cheers,  and applause.

"You all know why we're here. Because we are all sick and tired of being bullied by the benders! They push us around, they extort us, they torture us for their own gain! One man stood and decided that 'Enough was enough. I will bring these benders to their knees and make the world a safer place for people like me. The non-benders.'"

A loud roar of applause followed this statement.

"That man's name was Amon. He rose up to fight against the tyranny of the benders. And we followed him. We thought he would lead us to greatness. We thought he would make the world safe for us. We thought wrong."

The cheers and applause was replaced by confused murmuring.

"Amon's vision was the right one, don't get me wrong. I believe in a world where I don't have to fear my neighbor. But the benders don't want to stand down. The benders want to eradicate us. They are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that they stay above us! Look!"

There was a huge gasp from the crowd and more mutterings.

"This young boy was living on the street. He had no money, no parents, no place to call home. He had to steal to survive. He needed a few coins to eat that week, so he grabbed a few coins from a nearby person. And who should that person be? The Avatar herself. She decided a fitting punishment for stealing should be his life."

The murmurs quickly turned into shouts of anger and protest.

"The person who is sworn to keep the world in balance has clearly favored the benders like herself. She has forsaken us!"

Shouts of agreement came from the crowd.

"Amon's vision still stands true, but his methods will no longer work. We've tried diplomacy and they spat in out faces. Now is the time we strike back. Now is the time we show them what real fear is. Now is the time we take back our city!"

Thunderous applause and chants came from the crowd.

"_Kayne! Kayne! Kayne!"_

"Please…Please….This isn't about me. I am merely a servant to the non-benders of Republic City. And as your servant, I propose a call to battle. We will build an army of the likes this world has never seen! We will march across this land and bring Equality to ALL!"

The crowd went wild. More cheers and applause followed his speech. Chief Beifong turned off the radio, and she, Korra, and Tenzin sat in silence. The war had truly begun.

End Chapter 6

Please review and tell me what you think

Next: Chapter 7-A New World Order


	8. Chapter 7: A New World Order

Ambush

Chapter 7: A New World Order

Korra felt her knees give out as the full weight of the situation crashed down on her. As it sounded over the radio, Kayne had hundreds, if not thousands of supporters. And all of them were convinced that Korra had murdered Skoochy. Tenzin shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Chief Beifong was looking at Amon's body, which lay on the table in the center of the room.

"I can't believe Amon's dead…After all this time, we though he was the true enemy. I guess we were wrong."

She sighed and headed towards the stairs that led back to the temple.

"I'll send some officers to collect the body."

She left Korra alone with Tenzin. Korra was thankful when Chief Beifong left. She didn't think she could hold the tears back long enough. All of the things that happened in the past month; The announcement to the public, the riots, the city splitting into factions, the fights, Mako not speaking to her, Asami leaving him to help her father, the Mauler attack, Kayne's announcement, all of it came crashing down on her. She was holding it back for so long. Tenzin moved to comfort her.

"Korra…I can't possibly imagine what you must be feeling right now, but you must understand, your not alone. You have so many people who care about you and are willing to fight beside you. Your friends-"

Korra cut him off with a wry laugh in between sobs.

"My 'friends' haven't talked to me in a month. I haven't seen Bolin since he joined the Metalbender Corps, Asami went off to help her dad, and Mako…Is just gone…I feel so alone, and I can't deal with this on my own."

Tenzin put an arm around her shoulder and helped her to her feet.

"Come. You need rest. Spirits know when it was the last time you slept."

Korra wiped her eyes and nodded. As they left, two Metalbender cops passed them to get Amon's body. Korra stole a glance at it before the left the chamber. She thought it was her tired mind playing tricks on her, but it looked as if Amon's fingers twitched.

* * *

Mako made his way to the docks, still thinking that this was a bad idea. He hadn't talked to Korra in a month. It was too hard. He knew that he was being selfish, but at the time he didn't care. He was still dealing with Skoochy's death. He felt a little better a few weeks later and started seeing Asami again. It felt good to get out of the loft, get some fresh air, and laugh again. Things slowly seemed to go back to normal. Then the press conference happened. He was passing City Hall on a walk with Asami and he saw a huge crowd gathered. They decided to see what the commotion was about. He froze when he saw Korra standing on a stage next to Chief Beifong, Tenzin, and the other remaining Council members. Chief Beifong was declaring a state of martial law in which restrictions would be placed on all citizens. A curfew would be placed and all of those caught outside of curfew would be severely punished. There were cries of protest. That's when Korra took the stand. Mako felt strange. It had been so long since he last heard her voice. He never remembered it being this hard and cold. She was recounting her tome spent in captivity. She was interrupted by cries of people defending the Equalists.

"_Amon would never do such a thing!"_

"_Yeah! Neither would Kayne!"_

"_The Avatar's just another bender trying to scare us into turning against Amon!"_

More and more cries of protest sounded. Others in the crowed began to argue with the Equalist supporters. Chief Beifong cried out for order, but the arguments just escalated. Fights broke out and soon after, it turned into an all out brawl. Benders and non benders alike fought each other. The police intervened, trying to control the situation. Mako and Asami left quickly. Mako caught one last look at Korra before they turned the corner. She looked hurt and betrayed. Soon after that, the factions began drawing their lines in the city streets, marking their territory. People were afraid to walk outside alone in fear of being attacked. The neutral citizens entered a state of panic. If they were cornered by a recruiter from one of the factions, they joined. If they refused, a grim fate awaited them. It was around the time that the Yi Alliance first fought the Freedom Fighters that Asami paid he and Bolin an unexpected visit. He invited her in but she said she couldn't stay long.

"I would, but my dad needs help with the company…"

Mako tried not to let his disappointment show.

"Ah. Well, you know, it's cool. How about we meet up tomorrow and-"

"Mako, I'm leaving you!"

Mako blinked for several seconds before Asami's words sunk in.

"…What?"

Asami's eyes were quickly filling with tears.

"I'm sorry Mako…I…I can't explain why, but I just can't do this…Goodbye."

She ran off, leaving Mako speechless. Bolin came downstairs after waking from an afternoon nap. He yawned.

"Who was that at the door bro?…Bro?…Helloooo? Earth to Mako?"

Bolin started waving his hands in front of his brother's face. It seemed to work as Mako snapped himself out of his trance.

"Whuh?"

"Who was at the door?"

Mako felt completely empty inside as he felts his mouth speak the words.

"Asami just broke up with me…"

Bolin's playful expression disappeared immediately. It was replaced by a look of concern and hurt.

"Mako…I'm so sorry…"

Mako kicked an empty can as he got closer to the docks. He didn't know why he kept holding onto that memory but, for some odd reason, he felt as if something was…off. He was brought back to reality by the sound of t ferry's whistle. He made it to the ferry in time before it departed. He paid the fare and spent the ride steeling his courage in case he ran into Korra. He couldn't believe that it's been a month since Skoochy died. It often kept him up at night, wondering, if he was faster, Skoochy would still be alive.

A few hours later, he arrived to Air Temple Island. It was dark, almost midnight. Mako got off and proceeded to the air acolyte on night watch. He waved to him and the air acolyte nodded back. After signing his name, the air acolyte let him pass. He walked around to the other side of the island, to the cliff where Skoochy was buried. He sat on the edge, next to the headstone.

"Hey Skooch. How've you been? My life has been a mess since you…left. Asami left me, Korra hates me, and Bolin went and joined the police force. The city's gone to hell and…"

Mako felt his eyes sting with tears.

"I could really use a friend…"

Mako sat there for a long while, crying silently. When the tears stopped, he got up and wiped his eyes. He left, heading back the way he came. As he turned a corner to the main portion of the island, he nearly ran strait into Korra. He started back so quickly that he tripped over himself and fell. He looked up at Korra to see that she had an incredibly surprised look on her face.

"…Mako?"

Mako thought to himself: _"Oh shit…" _He swallowed hard and managed a weak smile.

"H-hi, Korra…"

Her surprised expression faded. Her face was blank, but her eyes were cold.

"What are you doing here?"

Mako stood up and brushed himself off. He hated the way she was looking at him. It made him realize just how much of a jerk he'd been in the past month.

"It's been a month since Skoochy…You know…"

Her expression softened.

"Oh…"

She turned to leave and Mako's mind raced to find something, anything to say that would make her stay.

"I came to see you too."

It was a lie and Korra knew it. She whirled on him, fire in her eyes.

"Don't you dare stand there and lie to me. You haven't said a word, not one word to me in a whole month! You basically dropped off the planet! Now you expect me to believe that you came here to see me, just on a whim?"

She was right on all accounts and Mako knew it.

"I know…I know…But…I really need you right now."

She seemed taken aback by his words. Mako felt a faint shimmer of hope. It faded when her eyes became hard again.

"YOU need ME? Since when? You didn't need me for a month! Where were you when _I_ needed you? I needed you when half the city turned against me! I needed you when I was caught in that Freedom Fighter's ambush! I needed you when Kayne almost killed me and Chief Beifong yesterday! I needed you when Kayne declared war on the world!"

Her eyes were streaming tears at this point. Mako didn't know what to do or say as he watched Korra sob into her arm.

"You know what really pisses me off? After all you did to me, after abandoning me…I still need you!"

That realization hit Mako like a two ton platypus bear. How could he have been so stupid? He never realized what Korra was going through until just that moment. His problems were coning compared to hers. He knew then that he had to be there for her, and he was willing to stay by her side for as long as it took. He walked toward her and took her other hand in his. She wiped her eyes and looked up at him.

"I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes swam with fresh tears and she lurched into him, burying her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling complete for the first time in his life. She sobbed into his chest for a short while. She remained there long after she stopped crying. Her words were muffled by his shirt.

"Hey."

Mako looked down at the top of her head.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said? That you're not going anywhere?"

"Every word."

She pulled away from him. Here yes were red and puffy, but they shone like moonlight reflected in the ocean. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Prove it…"

She closed her eyes and leaned towards him. Their lips met in a soft kiss. Mako was hesitant at first, but then he felt himself begin to lose himself in her. He felt her return his passion. Their passion became hunger as all of the untold emotions built up from the moment they met burst like a dam. After what seemed like ages, they broke apart, both of them panting. Korra was playing with the hem of his scarf.

"It's pretty late."

"Yeah. It is."

"Were you planning on going back to the area?"

Mako hesitated. She really couldn't be implying what he thought she was implying…

"That was the plan."

He decided to take a wild leap.

"Did…you have another idea?"

She grabbed him by the waist and pulled him tight to her.

"I don't want to be alone tonight…Can you stay? Please?"

"Of course I'll stay."

She grabbed his hand and led him back to her room.

* * *

Mako looked around the room, embarrassed. This was the first time he'd been in her room, or any girl's room. It wasn't as tidy as he expected. There were a few articles of clothing strewn on the floor, with an airbending scroll lying here or there. Mako shuddered at the reaction Tenzin would have if he saw that Korra was treating these scrolls like this. Mako looked at the door anxiously. Korra left to take a shower a while ago. As if on cue, the door opened and Korra walked in, drying her hair with a towel. Mako immediately noticed she was wearing nothing but her under shorts and bindings. He quickly looked away, trying very hard to ignore the heat spreading across his face. After she finished drying her hair, she walked over and sat down next to Mako. She sat close enough that their skin was touching. He looked at her, but it seemed like either she didn't notice. Her mind seemed to be far away.

"Do you think life will ever return to normal?"

Pulling his attention away from his current situation, Mako thought about the question. It was hard to answer.

"I don't know. Well, I think that things will go on, but they will never be the same."

Korra looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes reflecting sadness.

"I'm sorry for asking you to stay here. I know you should probably be back at the arena. Bolin might be wondering where you are. Asami too…"

"No. I chose to be here. I told you that I would, and I need to honor that. As for Bolin, he's still in Metalbender training. I haven't heard from him in a while. And Asami…"

His mind flashed back to that painful moment.

"…Is no longer in the picture…She ended it about a week ago."

As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep the pain from his voice. Korra obviously heard it. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry…I had no idea you were going through all that…I'm sorry I yelled at you the way I did back there. I was just so angry, and confused, and hurt…"

Tears started to form in her eyes again. He looked at him, the pain of the loneliness she felt in the past month clearly reflected in her eyes.

"I thought I would never see you again and-"

He didn't want to hear any more. He cut her off by pulling her into a deep kiss. She instantly melted into him. Their bodies meshed together like puzzle pieces, like they were meant for each other. Mako felt his clothing become restricting. As if she knew, Korra removed those restrictions. Mako felt very exposed as she took all of him in. His embarrassment quickly melted when he saw only love and passion in her eyes. Their lips met again, and Mako laid Korra gently underneath him as the first rays of the dawning sun peeked over the horizon.

* * *

When Mako first woke, he was very unsure as to where he was. The ceiling he was looking at was low and made out of plaster, not wood. The next thing he realized was that his right arm was asleep and very, very warm. He looked over to see a very underdressed Korra, sleeping peacefully next to him. His arm was underneath her. For a moment, Mako panicked. Then he remembered everything that happened that night. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked over at Korra again. Her face looked so serene, so peaceful. A lose lock of hair drifted into her face. Mako brushed it aside absent mindedly. He thought to himself.

_This is how it was supposed to have been…_

He heard footsteps approaching the door. It was at that moment where he realized exactly where he was…And who else lived there. He swore softly and moved to get out of bed, but realized that he was still pinned under Korra. Slightly panicking, he started shaking Korra gently, silently willing her to wake up. There was a knock on the door, and a young girl's voice called out.

"Korra? Breakfast is ready!"

Mako shook Korra a little harder.

_PLEASE wake up!_

Korra moaned a little in her sleep and rolled over, releasing Mako's right arm. Flexing his muscles to try to get the blood flowing again, Mako decided to take drastic measures. He chanced making noise by whispering in Korra's ear.

"Come on Korra, wake up! I need you to wake up!"

Slowly, Korra's eyes opened. She gave Mako a sleepy smile.

"Hey. Did you sleep as good as I did? Last night was amazing. I worked out so much stress and…Why are you waving at me?"

Mako put his forehead in his palm as the girl's voice spoke again.

"Oh really? What was so 'amazing'?"

Korra sat bolt up right, instantly awake. Her face was bright red.

"Jinora! Hey! Umm….How long have you been standing there?"

Jinora giggled.

"Long enough to know that you're not alone, and weren't last night either. Anyway, breakfast is ready."

Mako heard Jinora walk away. He looked at Korra. She looked at him. They both burst out laughing. Mako hadn't laughed like this since he was with the Fire Ferrets. The two were laughing so loud they couldn't hear the other footsteps approaching the door. The door slid open and Bolin, suited up in Metalbender Corps armor, walked through the door.

"HEY MAKO AND KORRA! WHAT'S GOING ON-!"

All three of them froze. After a very awkward silence, Bolin backed out of the room.

"I'm just gonna…uhh…wait out here…until you are…yeah…."

He shut the door quickly, leaving Mako and Korra to get dressed, both thoroughly embarrassed.

Korra knew she was grinning like an idiot and she was blushing furiously, but she didn't care. She was happier than she'd been in months. The two of them made their way to the dining room. Inside, they heard Bolin's voice.

"Man that's good stuff! I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it's delicious. Thanks a lot Miss Pema."

They heard Pema give an exasperated sigh.

"Bolin, for the last time, it's just Pema."

"You got it Miss Pema."

Korra stifled a laugh as she opened the door. Sitting at the table was Jinora, Bolin, Ikki, Meelo, and Tenzin. Pema was placing out the food. She looked up and saw Korra.

"Good morning Korra."

Her eyebrows raised as she saw Mako come in behind her.

"And good morning Mako. I figured you would be here. You're not that far behind your brother. But why did you…"

She paused for half a second, taking in Korra's grinning face and Mako's red ears. She flashed them a knowing smile.

"Never mind. Anyway, Mako, you're most welcome for breakfast."

Korra heard soft snickering and looked over at Jinora and Ikki, who were exchanging glances. Bolin was whistling to himself. Tenzin looked at everyone suspiciously.

"Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"

Pema placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"It's nothing dear. Don't worry about it. It's a teenage thing."

Tenzin seemed to accept that and went back to his breakfast. The rest of the breakfast continued uneventfully, apart from Mako and Korra stealing fleeting looks at each other now and then.

* * *

Korra ducked and narrowly avoided the jet of flames that Mako shot at her. She spun and retaliated with her own flurry of blows. It had been so long since they last sparred together. She noticed that Mako had improved his fighting style and adapted it to the current situation. He really was a superb fighter. He wielded his flames quickly and efficiently. His footwork was really good too, except he tended to overextend his left foot when he curved his flame. Korra dodged underneath the flame, and struck out three times. Mako hit the ground with a dull thud. Korra wiped her sweaty brow, and grinned down at him.

"I win. Again."

Mako gave her a small smile. Then, without warning, he spun on the ground and scissor kicked. Before she knew what happened, Korra was on her back next to him. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. It felt like old times back at the pro bending gym. Korra heard someone calling for them and she sat up. She saw Bolin running over to them, his armor gleaming in the afternoon sun. She waved him over.

"Hey Bolin!"

When Bolin reached them, Korra was that there wasn't a smile on his face. Something was wrong.

"What is it."

Bolin looked at Korra and Mako then shook his head.

"You gotta come see this. It's Amon…"

Korra looked at Mako and he shrugged. She nodded at Bolin.

"Lead the way."

* * *

Chief Beifong was overseeing Amon's autopsy personally. It wasn't that she didn't trust her medical officers, she just had a personal stake in this. She watched as the medics prepared the room for the body. Soon, the medics gave the go ahead and two Metalbending officers brought in Amon's body. They laid him on the table and left. The medics puttered around, taking down the pre autopsy notes. Chief Beifong shifted her weight impatiently. She wished that they would just get on with it already. She was particularly interested in how a man as untouchable as Amon just die. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flicker of movement on the table. When she looked back, she saw Amon lying there, his arm draped off the side of the table.

_Was his arm originally like that?…_

Something didn't feel right. She was wary as the medics prepared to make the first incision. The medic cut Amon's shirt open, exposing his chest. The medic looked at Chief Beifong behind the glass panel and gave her a thumbs up. She nodded slowly. The medic picked up a scalpel and started cutting a line down the center of Amon's chest. All of a sudden, without warning, Amon shot up from the table and grabbed the hand of the medic who was cutting him. Chief Beifong was stunned. She watched as Amon twisted the scalpel out of the medic's grasp and flung him against the wall, knocking him out instantly. The other medic advanced with a longer blade. With a flick of his wrist, Amon turned the blade aside. He snapped his hand forward and the medic crumpled. Amon turned his still masked face towards the glass; towards Chief Beifong. It was many, many years since Chief Beifong felt real fear. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. The color drained from her face and she backed away from the man she _knew _was dead. Amon stumbled up to the glass and slammed his hand on the pane, rattling the frame. His chest bled and his voice was raspy.

"Where…am I?…"

* * *

Korra ran alongside Mako and Bolin, heading back towards the temple.

_What about Amon? He's dead…_

They reached the temple and saw an interesting sight. Tenzin had his arm around Chief Beifong, who was obviously frightened. She was white as a ghost and she was shaking. Korra looked at her and then Tenzin.

"What is going on?"

Chief Beifong took a shaky breath and seemed to gather herself. Korra was very wary of what was going to happen next. Chief Beifong was a very strong woman. Anything that shook her up that badly is not something that should be taken lightly. Chief Beifong directed Korra to the living room.

"I can't explain this…"

She opened the door. Sitting at the table, was Amon. He was wrapped up in chains from the chest down. Bolin stood behind him, keeping him in place with his wires. Amon's eyes were unreadable as he looked up at Korra from behind his mask.

"You…Do I know you?"

Korra was frozen in shock. There he was; the man who haunted her nightmares for months. A wave of anger shattered through her immobilizing shock.

"Yeah. You know me. You turned the entire city against me. Oh and you've threatened everyone I ever cared about. So yeah, you could say you know me."

Confusion clouded Amon's eyes.

"I don't understand…What's going on here?"

Chief Beifong's eyes narrowed. She lifted her foot, moved back the protective plating, and stomped the ground. She closed her eyes.

"You are called Amon. You are the leader of the terrorist cell known as the Equalists. Your sole purpose in life is to rid the world of all bending by any means necessary."

Amon blinked at her.

"What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you people? Someone tell me what's going on here?"

After a moment, Chief Beifong opened her eyes.

"Well, he's not lying. He truly doesn't know who he is."

Mako glared at Amon, his amber eyes burning.

"It's got to be a trick. This is Amon we're dealing with. It's not like him pulling a stunt like this is below him."

Chief Beifong Gave Mako a stern look.

"I can detect the physical change that occurs in a person when they lie. My mother was the best and she taught me well. This is no trick."

Mako opened his mouth to argue but Korra nudged him with her elbow. She whispered to him out of the corner of her mouth.

"I wouldn't. You don't know what she's like when she's angry."

Mako shut his mouth and put his hands in his pockets.

Chief Beifong looked at Amon, muttering to herself. She seemed to have made a decision. Korra looked at her, then Amon.

"What do we do with him?"

"For now, I'll take him with me back to the station, keep him in a holding cell. In the mean time, we need to focus on getting my city under control, and going after Kayne-"

"Kayne…"

Korra looked over at Amon. His head was bowed, his masked face hidden. His voice shook with pure rage. When he raised his head, she saw that his yellow eyes glowed with fury. Korra, Chief Beifong, and Mako all tensed.

"Why…Why does this name fill me with rage?"

Amon tried to stand, but was forced back down by Bolin. The three relaxed slightly. Chief Beifong looked grim. She turned to leave.

"Change of plans. He's coming in for questioning now. Officer Bolin."

Bolin stood at attention.

"What's up, ma'am!"

Ignoring his blatant disregard for protocol, Chief Beifong gestured to him.

"Bring him."

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Chief Beifong paced in front of Amon, her piercing gaze never leaving him. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his eyes averting hers. She found it hard to believe that the man who terrorized her city, captured her comrades, and threatened the peace that she worked so hard to uphold, was squirming in the interrogation chair like a frightened child. She couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She stopped her pacing and looked Amon in the eyes.

"You were dead. I had my best team examine you. They checked your vitals. Nothing. They took your pulse. There was none. You were a corpse when they dropped you on my table, yet here you are."

She sat down across from him.

"Tell me, what trick did you have up your sleeve that makes people return from the dead?"

Amon gave an exasperated sigh.

"I told you already; there was no possible way that I could have been dead. Look, the only thing I remember, is waking up in that room with some guy cutting me open. I'm sorry for hurting him, but I acted on instinct. I didn't know what else to do."

Amon let out a soft grunt and his head twitched.

"Something wrong?"

Amon shook his head.

"Just a headache. Oh, and as for those things that you've accused me of; being the leader of a terrorist cell and all that, that can't possibly be true either. I just got into the city yesterday."

Chief Beifong felt a jolt of surprise. She felt that he was telling the truth. She decided to press him for more information.

"Is there anything else you remember?"

Amon nodded vigorously.

"Yeah. This guy came up to me after I got off the ferry and he told me to meet him in a warehouse across town. I agreed for some reason, I don't know why. He seemed trustworthy at the time. Anyway, I showed up, the guy answered the door and…"

Amon trailed off, shaking his head.

"That's the last thing I remember before waking up here."

She knew it would be a stretch, but she had to give it a shot anyway. She got up and walked over to a side table. She picked up the photo on the table and placed it in front of Amon. It was a photo of Kayne, waving at something, surrounded by the monstrosities he called Maulers. Chief Beifong managed to snap the photo before Kayne disappeared out of sight that day she was ambushed. Amon saw it, and his eyes narrowed. His hands curled into fists. His voice was full of anger again.

"That's him. That's the guy…His name's Kayne, isn't it?"

Chief Beifong nodded. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but she thought she had an idea of what was happening. Amon looked at her, confusion mixing in with the hate.

"Why do I hate this person?"

"Well, most likely, it's because they betrayed you. Funny thing is, you saw it coming, which is why you prepared and antidote to the extremely rare poison your 'partner' injected you with. Rhododendron. A good friend of my mother told her about it. The idiot brewed it into tea once. It educes a state of near-death to the consumer. Drops your vitals so low that you would appear dead to any highly trained healer. A few hours later, you pop back up. Only problem is that your body is weak and you have sever memory loss for the next several hours."

She leaned back in her chair, trying to read Amon's eyes. The rage was still there, but the confusion was replaced by something. Chief Beifong couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"The headaches will be your memory returning. When that happens, I'll have you shipped back down to holding just until I can have the council authorize your transfer to the Boiling Rock."

She heard Amon muttering something. She leaned in closer and realized he was chuckling.

"Correct on all accounts. You missed just one small detail."

Chief Beifong heard a feint click and Amon's restraints sprang open. Suddenly, Amon was a blur of motion. He flipped over the table, using his chair for leverage. He got behind her and used the hair clip he had cleverly hidden and used to pick the lock of his restraints to jam the wire mechanism on her back. Using her own body weight against her, Amon dropped her to the ground and twisted her arm, making sure that she stayed down. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"You forgot who you were dealing with."

Chief Beifong felt a strong blow on the back of her neck and her vision faded to black.

* * *

Amon stood, stretching his arms. He had only been forced to use the Rhododendron antidote once before, and he hated it. His joints were stiff, he felt sick, and his head felt like it would burst, but he was alive. And Kayne was convinced otherwise. He glanced down at the picture of Kayne. His eyes narrowed. Kayne will pay. Amon strode over to the wall, knocked twice, paused, then knocked again three times. He memorized the special interrogation chamber signals on his way in. He e allowed himself a small smile. Even without his memories he still retained his training. The door slid open and Amon sprang outside. He caught one guard by surprise and , with three well placed blows, sent him into the wall where he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. He turned his attention to the other guard just in time to dodge the wire that he flung at Amon. Amon managed to roll to the side, but he stumbled and slammed into the wall. He cursed his aching body. He recovered quickly and managed to coil his arms under the guard's. He tightened his arm muscles and locked up the guard's arms as well as put significant pressure on his spinal cord.

I apologize for my lack of manners, but I'm not in that good of a mood today. Unless you want to be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of your life, I suggest you lead me to the fastest rout out of here. Understood?"

The guard gave him an affirmative whimper. The guard directed Amon through the twisting halls of the Metalbender Corps Headquarters. So far, they were able to steer clear of any cops. The guard led Amon through a door and they came face to face with six Metalbender cops. Amon had been led into the recreation room. The Metalbenders looked at the two with surprise, then assumed a ready combat stance. Amon tightened his grip on the cop and he cried out in pain. The Metalbenders didn't move.

"One step closer and I will snap his spine in half."

Amon slowly made his way across the room, making sure to keep every Metalbender in his sight as much as possible. The other Metalbenders assumed a reverse arrowhead formation and slowly advanced toward Amon. Amon glanced behind him and saw that the exit was easily accessible. He halted his retreat.

"Your precious Chief of Police is currently unconscious in one of the interrogation rooms. When she awakens, give her a message from me. Tell her to give me all of the information she has on Kayne's whereabouts in twenty four hours. I will send a note with a place. She will meet me there. Alone. I do not get the information, or if she bring anyone with her, I will not be the only one disappearing."

Amon uncoiled his arms from the guard and struck him on the back of the head. He flung the unconscious guard into the group of Metalbenders. They all collapsed in a heap. They untangled themselves and looked around. Amon was nowhere to be found.

Amon sat atop of a nearby roof, flexing his fingers. That little acrobatic stunt he pulled getting on top of the roof wasn't good for his still raw body. He winced as he stood. He must have torn a few muscles in his elaborate escape. He skimmed across the rooftops, keeping low. He thought about places he could lay low for a while. He couldn't go to any Equalist safe houses. Word would defiantly get back to Kayne. He thought about the safest place he could go. He needed a little medical attention. He knew where he could get it, but it wouldn't be easy. It would take quite a bit of time, but he didn't have any other place to go. Grimacing against the pain under his mask, Amon set off towards the setting sun, and Avatar Aang Memorial Island.

* * *

Kayne looked out over the city from the thirtieth floor of the abandoned Cabbage Corp building. He took a sip of the cheap wine in the glass in his hand. It was bitter and stale, but he liked it. The city was dark. It looked deserted at this time of night. Kayne sighed happily. He thought back on how the city used to look. It used to be full of light and energy. Now, it was full of fear and despair. Kayne liked it much better now. He turned and walked back to his desk and sat down behind it. He put his feet up and relaxed. He moved to take another sip of wine, when he stopped. What was he doing? This was a special occasion. Today was the day he rid himself of his handler, Amon. He kept him on a tight leash. Kayne had to limit himself to performing chi experiments only. He finaly caught a break when that task force invaded. It was the perfect opportunity to collect specimen for Project: Mauler and Project: Reaper. After the fiasco with the Avatar escaping and Amon getting all emotional over that brat, it made it all too easy for Kayne to take over and win the hearts and minds of the Equalist party. All that was left after that was to tie up lose ends. A poison dagger did the job perfectly. Kayne threw the glass of wine against the wall and it shattered. He rummaged around in his desk and brought out a bottle of fine whisky and a vial of blood from his newest victim. He poured himself a glass and added the blood. He swirled it around and took a drink. It was sweet and delicious. It burned his throat as it went down. Kayne savored the experience. He looked at the mixture in the glass. He thought out loud.

"Age fifty…Very good year."

He raised his glass in a mocking toast.

"To Hiroshi Sato. To think, if it wasn't for his greed and lust for revenge, my drinks would forever be dull."

He chucked to himself. There came a knock at the door and Kayne answered it in a sing-song voice.

"Come iii-iiin!"

The door opened and a teenage girl walked in. Her long, dark hair was up in a tight bun and her slender figure was sheathed in a skin tight battle suit. Her dark eyes were empty and cold. Kayne swiveled around on his chair and spread his arms wide. He grinned.

"Asami! Good to see you."

Asami nodded. When she spoke, her voice held a neutral tone.

"Master Kayne. I've come with news."

Kayne set down his drink and stood, clapping his hands gleefully.

"Oh good! How I do love news. Lay it on me, babycakes!"

"The leader of the Yi Alliance has agreed to peace talks with the Freedom Fighters. A temporary cease fire has been placed into effect."

Kayne frowned and stroked his chin.

"Hmm…That won't do. That school by the station, is that Freedom Fighters' territory?"

Asami nodded.

"I'll arrange for a bombing and pin it on the Yi's. Shouldn't be too hard to end that cease fire. Keep em' coming! What else?"

"The police have been searching the area around your last public appearance. It seems that they have started up a search for you."

This problem was particularly annoying. Kayne had several laboratories that were invaluable to him in that area.

"We need to set fire to a few headquarters and blame it on the other faction. With the escalation in violence, it should keep the cops off me long enough to finish up with my projects. Is there anything else?"

"No, sir."

Kayne noticed a split second hesitation in her answer. He eyed her out of his peripheral vision. Asami shifted her weight slightly and her eyes flicked toward him. Kayne knew she was hiding something. And he hated being lied to. He stood, and walked toward her slowly. He pulled a ling, wicked looking dagger from a sheath on his belt and casually twirled it in his hands. He saw Asami's eyes flick towards the knife and up at him. She began to sweat a little. Kayne stopped next to her, shoulder to shoulder.

"Asami, you know how much I hate being lied to. You know it makes me cranky. And people tend to die when I get cranky. So I am going to ask you again, and you will give me an honest answer. Is there anything else?"

Asami's voice trembled with fear as she spoke.

"Our mole at the police station heard…a rumor…that…Amon had been taken into custody and was being interrogated."

Kayne stopped twirling the knife. Anger and disbelief invaded his mind.

"How…HOW?"

Kayne whirled on Asami, pinning her to the wall, his dagger centimeters from her quivering throat.

"How long were you planning on keeping this information from me?"

Asami was frozen with fear, tears streaming down her face.

"ANSWER ME!"

"I…I'm sorry sir! I just didn't want to upset you! You have enough to worry about. And I thought…I could take care of it myself. I'm so sorry. Please don't kill me…"

Kayne let out a ragged breath and managed to calm himself down. He really needed to work on his temper. He let Asami go and lowered his dagger. He sighed and grinned at her.

"Bah, I can't stay mad at you. Although I appreciate your eagerness, you need to tell me everything straight away. Kay?"

Asami nodded. She was still visibly shaken. Kayne wondered if he broke the poor girl. He moved toward her and placed his finger at the base of her neck. He used his abilities to directly influence the chi running throughout her system and instantly calmed her. Asami stopped shaking and exhaled slowly. Kayne patted her on the head and returned to his desk.

"You've done right by me so far. Getting rid of your traitorous father was big step in my book."

Kayne picked up his drink and shook his head.

"Ah well. At least you killed him after he built my labs."

"Sir…What of Amon."

Kayne looked back out the window. Somewhere, he knew, Amon was waiting to take revenge in him.

"You leave Amon to me. You have more pressing matters to attend to."

He heard confusion in Asami's voice.

"Sir?"

"It's almost time. My army is nearly complete, half of the city is completely loyal to me, and the other half is busy ripping each other's throats out. Our friends in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom are almost ready as well. Once we take Republic City, I can send the word to them."

"What do you mean sir?"

Kayne laughed.

"I mean, once I send the word, we only need to sit back, relax, and watch the world fall. A new world order is at hand, Asami."

He gestured widely at the view outside.

"Can't you see it? The entire world, under my control. A world where no one needs to fear anything but their own limitations. My world…"

Asami gave Kayne a small smile.

"I'm with you every step of the way, sir."

"Glad to hear it. Now go. I have some final plans I need to go over."

Asami, bowed and left. Kayne turned back to the window and sipped his drink. Yes…Fifty was a very good year. His laughter was drowned out by the echoing booms of thunder as a storm approached Republic City, blanketing it a shroud of darkness.

End Chapter 7

Please review and tell me what you think.

Next: Chapter 8-Not Without a Fight


	9. Chapter 8: Not Without a Fight

Ambush

Chapter 8: Not Without a Fight

Korra exhaled softly as she slowly paced in circles. She gracefully launched herself into the Airbending forms that Tenzin taught her. She went low, moving her arms in a sweeping motion. The wind responded to her will. It whirled along with her as she moved through the forms. Korra felt particularly proud of herself as she nailed the last form, which created a horizontal mini-hurricane. She straightened and lowed her arms as she finished. She looked over at the steps of the training area, where Mako was lying down and relaxing. He looked over at her, one eye open. Korra gave him an expectant look. Mako gave her a confused expression.

"…What?"

"Well? What did you think?"

Mako turned his head back to the sky and closed his eyes again.

"You look good, like always."

Korra smiled to herself and put her hands on her hips.

"I meant my Airbending, lover boy."

She saw Mako's face turning a light shade of pink and she laughed.

"Yeah, I meant your Airbending…"

Korra decided that she would squeeze as much out of this as she could. She put on mocking pout. She put as much disappointment in her voice as possible.

"Oh? You don't think I look good?"

Mako sat up quickly.

"No! You do! I thought you were talking about your Airbending! I didn't mean…"

He trailed off. Korra was trying very hard to not burst out laughing. She couldn't hold it in any longer as Mako gave her a slightly irritated look.

"That was not cool, Korra."

He stood up and turned to leave. Korra called after him.

"Aw, come on Mako. What, can't take a joke?"

"Not listening to you."

Korra wouldn't have any of that. She slammed her foot into the ground and twisted. The earth under Mako's feet spun him around. She pulled her foot back and Mako zoomed toward her. She let him go when he was a few inches from her. His amber eyes bore into her as she put her arms around his neck.

"And where did you think you were going?"

Mako's expression was one of irritation, but there was only laughter in his eyes.

"Away from you, but I guess I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"

Korra giggled and pressed herself against him.

"Nope. You're all mine."

Mako chuckled and smiled down at her.

"I guess I don't mind that much."

Korra closed her eyes as she felt his lips press against hers. The kiss was fleeting, but it spoke volumes. Korra was happy. A cold, female voice interrupted their moment.

"Then you won't mind telling me why you have ignored my call."

Mako looked over Korra's shoulder. His smile faded quickly and his face paled.

"Akali…How… How did you get here?"

Korra released Mako and turned around. A woman, flanked by two men, was standing there. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Korra would never admit it but she felt a twinge of jealousy. Her hair was black as night. Her skin was pale and smooth. Her lips, that were red and full, were curved up into a friendly smile. Her eyes are what put Korra on edge and sent a shiver down her spine. The woman's eyes were blood red, and as piercing as icicles. Her gaze what directed above her, into Mako's eyes.

"What, you seriously thought that a bit of water would keep you away from me?"

She advanced a few steps towards him. Korra grabbed his arm possessively. The woman's eyes flicked down to Korra. She raised her eyebrows.

"Your woman is very protective of you. Maybe you didn't tell her about our magical night?"

Korra felt Mako's arm tense. She had no idea what the woman was talking about, but something happened between her and Mako. And Korra did not like it. She looked at Mako. She felt him wince in pain as her grip on him tightened.

"Mako…would you like to explain what she's talking about? And while you're at it, would you like to tell me who she is?"

Mako looked afraid, looking from the woman to Korra. He took a deep breath.

"I didn't want you to find out…"

Korra felt her heart shatter. He lied to her. After all he said, he had betrayed her anyway. She felt numb as she backed away from him. He looked confused, then understanding flashed in his eyes.

"No, Korra, it's not like that. I swear."

Korra instinctively curled her hands into fists. As much as Korra wanted to run, she forced herself not to. He owed her an explanation. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You got thirty seconds before I kick your ass, Mako."

The woman chuckled. She looked like she was thoroughly enjoying this. Mako sighed and began to explain.

"This is Akali. She's the leader of the Red Monsoons. After you left for the Equalist raid, I went out to find you. I ran into Skoochy at the station and convinced him to help. He said he knew someone that could help us,  and that led me to her. We were able to convince her to tell us where you went, but I had to make a deal with her. She told me that I would need to serve her for a while. That's all…"

Korra relaxed a little, but that made her warier of Akali, who was standing there impatiently, looking at her nails. She looked over when Mako finished his story.

"Oh, you're finished? Good. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm here so you can fill out your end of the bargain."

She looked at Korra, sizing her up.

"Hmm…You'll do as well."

Her gaze moved to Mako again.

"Well? Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Korra sat in the living room, glaring at Akali as she sweet-talked Tenzin. Not many people could do so, but Akali was a pro. Tenzin left Korra and Mako with "their sweet friend." The two men guarding her were introduced as Jace and Nero. Jace sat by the window, looking like he was deep in thought, but he constantly had one eye on his mistress. The gourd filled with water he carried on his back sat against the wall next to him. Nero leaned against the door. He was staring at Korra with obvious interest. Korra turned on him.

"You want some of this? Because I'd be happy to break your face if you keep staring."

Nero scowled and moved toward her. Korra started to stand to meet him, but she didn't need to. With a casual flick of her wrist, Akali sent Nero crashing to the floor. Korra blinked, unsure of what just happened. She looked over at Akali, who smiled at her.

"I apologize for my companion's manners. He can sometimes forget his place."

Nero grunted in pain. Akali released him and he hurried to his feet, straightening his shirt.

"Sorry, ma'am. Won't happen again."

He returned to sulking against the door. Akali focused her attention on Mako.

"Now then. I have a little job for you. One of my warehouses has been occupied by…unwelcome guests. I need you to get rid of them."

Korra glanced at Mako. His eyes were narrowed. His voice was suspicious.

"Why do you need me? You have enough manpower to take back three warehouses the size of the Pro-Bending arena."

Akali smiled, her eyes shining.

"Perceptive…I like that in a man."

She winked, and Mako looked away. Korra slammed her fist on the table. Akali shot her an annoyed look. Korra glared back.

"Just tell us where the warehouse is and how to get in the front door."

Akali's eyes flared with anger. A moment later, the anger vanished and her usual smirk returned.

"Very well. I didn't feel like dealing with Equalists myself, anyway."

Korra and Mako looked at each other. Mako shook his head at Akali.

"No way. You never said anything about fighting a bunch of Equalists. No deal."

Akali's eyes narrowed. Her voice lost its subtle tone of seduction and turned cold.

"I don't recall this being me asking you for a favor. This is me telling you what you are going to do."

Korra felt a wave of anger rise in her. She slammed her hand on the table and leaned over it, stopping inches away from Akali's face. She felt a blade appear at her throat and felt the cold sting of icicles at her back, but she didn't care.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but don't you _dare _think you can come to my home and tell my boyfriend what to do."

Her voice was low and dangerous. Akali looked unfazed. A tense few moments passed where no one moved. At that moment, Tenzin threw the doors to the dining room open.

"Korra! I have news from the police station-!"

He stopped as he observed the scene before him. Nero had a blade at Korra's neck while Jace had a volley of icicles poised at her back. Mako had fists of flames trained on both men and Korra was inches away from Akali's face.

"What is going on in here?"

Slowly, very slowly, everyone stood down. Akali flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at Tenzin.

"It's nothing, sir. Just a slight disagreement. Please, don't let this interrupt your announcement."

Tenzin eyed her suspiciously, then continued.

"Chief Beifong was found unconscious in an interrogation chamber. Amon was nowhere to be found. She came to an hour ago and she's on her way here."

* * *

Korra saw Chief Beifong get off the ferry a little while later. She didn't look happy. She nodded to Tenzin as she reached them.

"We don't have much time. I have a plan, but we need to be quick if it's going to work."

After they all settled into the dining room, Akali being allowed to stay, despite Korra's protests, Chief Beifong filled them in on her plan.

"After we rescued Avatar Korra and Mako from the Equalist headquarters under Avatar Aang Memorial Island, I had a few units sweep the entire place. It was much bigger than we thought. We didn't find much, but we did manage to get our hands on some blueprints of those…things that Avatar Korra and I encountered the other day. We were also able to capture a few scientists under Kayne's employ. Once we left, I had the place rigged with alarms so that, if anyone returned, we would know. An alarm was triggered in one of the medical bays about thirty minutes ago. We think it's Amon. If we go now with a small strike team, we might be able to nab him."

Everyone seemed to agree. Korra saw Akali give a small signal to Jace, who nodded, then stood.

"Well, I think I'll leave you to your police work."

Akali smiled and turned to leave. Suddenly, Chief Beifong trapped Jace and Nero in cones of earth. She threw her wires around Akali in the same movement.

"I don't think so. I've been looking for you for a long time, Akali Rhode."

Akali chuckled. Her voice was low and dark.

"No one has called me by my full name since I was twelve. No one has dared…"

Chief Beifong scoffed.

"Save it. You've got some explaining to do."

Mako looked like he was thinking hard. Korra gave him a quizzical look. He seemed to have had an idea.

"Chief Beifong, wait! I have an idea…"

* * *

"No. Absolutely not. There is no way that I would allow the help of criminals."

Korra looked at Mako. She knew he was right, but she didn't like it either.

"Chief Beifong…As much as I don't like it, Mako's right. Enlisting the help of the gangs would give us the man power we need to take back the city."

Chief Beifong rolled her eyes.

"Great. Wonderful. I took your advice and we took back the city. Then what? I'd have over a hundred criminals on the loose! Do you have any idea how hard it would be to catch them all? Again? And might I remind you that these are people who operate outside of the law that I am sworn to uphold."

She gave Tenzin an exasperated look.

"Any help would be fantastic."

Tenzin was staring at the floor, thinking hard.

"It's a very drastic option, and there is no guarantee that it will work. There are too many questions that need to be answered, precautions that need to be taken. Overall, what do we have that we can hold over the gang leader's heads?"

There was a long silence. Akali cleared her throat.

"If I may interject, for a moment, I would be willing to be made an offer. If your offer is better than Kayne's, then I may just reconsider where my loyalties lie…"

Chief Beifong's eyes narrowed.

"Kayne tried to deal with you?"

"He called a meeting of the head's of all the major gangs. His offer was quite generous. We would all get a section of the city once he took it over."

Chief Beifong let out a short, barking laugh.

"Do you really think that Kayne would divide the city among people he believes are lower than him? I've fought him before. He tramples anyone in his way. He's selfish and insane. The only thing you'd get from him is a knife in the back. As for his 'deal', I'll do you one better. You do as I say, and you rot in prison for only half of your life."

Akali scowled at Chief Beifong. Korra saw in her eyes that she was thinking hard. Finally, she bowed her head.

"I guess I don't have a choice…"

Chief Beifong nodded.

"Good. I'll let you send one of your men to inform the rest on what's happening. In the meantime, you're not leaving me side."

She looked over at Mako.

"I guess we're doing it your way after all. But first things first, we need to go get Amon. I'll take Akali with me to the Equalist hideout. I'll need some back up."

Korra stepped foreword.

"I'll go."

Chief Beifong nodded, then looked to Tenzin.

"Tenzin, you should take a squad of my officers and pay a visit to Tadashi Shipping Company. Make sure their president comes to pay us a visit."

Tenzin nodded. Chief Beifong looked around the room.

"We don't have much time, so lets move like we got a purpose."

* * *

Korra shuddered as she, Akali, and Chief Beifong walked down the dank, dark, hallway of the Equalist hideout. She didn't want to go, but she couldn't let Mako go with Akali. She held the flame closer to her body, feeling the warmth wash over her. Chief Beifong was studying a map by the light of Korra's fire. She had one hand on the map and the other had a wire fashioned into handcuffs around Akali's wrists. Akali was not happy.

"Honestly, where do you think I'll run off to?"

Chief Beifong didn't look up from her map, but yanked on the wire, causing Akali to stumble.

"Shut up."

Chief Beifong pointed to a half open door.

"There. That's where the alarm was triggered."

The two of them raced to the door, dragging Akali along with them. The room was a medical chamber. Medicine and healing charts hung on the walls. The room was empty. Korra spotted an empty vial, a syringe, and some discarded bandages nearby.

"Look. He was here. He couldn't have gotten far."

Korra turned and saw chief Beifong hunched over, twitching.

"Chief Beifong!"

Korra looked around and saw Akali, her hands raised and her eyes shining. Korra found that she couldn't move. Akali twisted both her wrists in complicated movements and chief Beifong's wrist turned as well. The wire handcuffs bent out of shape just enough for Akali to break free. She rubbed her wrists and smiled at Korra.

"Much better. Now I won't slow us down as much."

She dropped her hands and Korra and Chief Beifong were in control of their bodies again. Chief Beifong moved against Akali. Akali took a step back and held up her hands in surrender.

"Easy. The only reason I did that was because you wouldn't have listened to me otherwise."

Chief Beifong glared at her.

"For good reason. The second you try anything at all, I bind your hands and feet and leave you here until I see fit. Got it?"

Akali gave Chief Beifong a sweet smile. Chief Beifong scoffed and pushed past her. Korra followed Akali, still feeling the strange after effects of Bloodbending. The three of them searched room after room, finding small bits of evidence of Amon being there, but not finding Amon himself. They finally caught a break after what seemed like hours. They were running down a hallway when, suddenly, Korra couldn't move. Akali was Bloodbending her again. She was pulled back only a few inches and released. She stumbled, trying to regain her balance. Chief Beifong was doing the same. Korra glared at Akali.

"Would you stop doing that?"

Akali seemed like she wasn't paying attention. She was looking at something at the ground. Korra was confused. Akali nodded to herself and motioned for Chief Beifong and Korra to move back. They did, Chief Beifong did so reluctantly. Akali pulled out a small knife, slashed in front of her, then leapt backward. A giant ball of electric gauntlets narrowly missed her. The air smelled of electricity. Akali turned gracefully, pulling water out of thin air. She dumped it on the ball and the gauntlets short circuited and died. Akali looked at the trap, her brow furrowed.

"It's crude but effective. This was set up relatively quickly, about ten minutes ago. He's close."

They hurried down the hallway. Chief Beifong held up a fist, signaling the other two to halt. She listened, then made a motion indicating them to move quietly. They snuck around a corner and heard noises coming from a door that was half open. The noises were followed by grunts of pain. The three positioned themselves around the door and Chief Beifong counted down the breach. On her signal, she used metal bending to pull the door off its hinges. Akali moved in next, and Korra followed. She saw Amon standing there shirtless, bandages around his midriff. He was badly bruised and there were long but shallow cuts on his body. She also saw his mask lying on the table next to him. His back was to them. He wasn't moving. Korra assumed he was caught in Akali's Bloodbending. Chief Beifong threw her wires around him and Akali released him. Amon gasped in pain as the wires tightened around his body.

"What do you want from me? I have nothing. My people have abandoned me, my partner betrayed me, my cause has been mutlilated…"

For a second, Korra felt sorry for him. Then she remembered whom she was feeling sorry for and the feeling went away. Chief Beifong turned him around with her wires and, for the first time, Korra looked Amon in the face. His face was burned and scarred almost beyond recognition. His ears were burned, his mouth was burned, his eyelids were burned, everything was scarred. His yellow eyes gleamed with hatred as he looked at the three.

"It was because of benders like you that I have been forced to live behind a mask. All I ever wanted was a simple life, but you wouldn't even let me have that. You took my family, and you took my face."

He turned his head and closed his eyes.

"Do whatever you want. The only reason I'm still alive is because of my desire for revenge. Killing Kayne is my reason for living. That reason is now gone."

Korra didn't know how she knew what to do, but she did. She walked over to the table beside Amon and picked up his mask. She looked at it for a long moment, remembering the fear that it installed in her. Now, it didn't make her feel afraid. She placed the Mask on Amon's face. His yellow eyes glared down at her. She met his gaze evenly.

"I can't possibly understand what it feels like to lose your family. I do know that blaming an entire people for the actions of a few only causes more pain. That's why it took Avatar Aang so long to create this place. People used to fear Firebenders. Now look at the world. It's full of different people getting along, both benders and non-benders. I understand why you hate benders so much, but hurting innocent people isn't going to bring your family back. And all benders aren't as bad as you think."

Korra saw a pan of water on the table. She brought the water to her and started healing Amon's wounds. She felt him tense under her but he said nothing. She looked up at him.

"Some of us will even try and help you."

Slowly, Amon turned his head and his eyes met hers. She saw conflict in his eyes, the truth of her words fighting against a deep hatred and emotional scars. Korra turned and nodded at Chief Beifong. She hesitated, then withdrew her wires from Amon. He didn't move. Korra healed him the best she could then discarded the rest of the water. She turned to leave.

"…Why did you come?"

Korra turned back. Amon's eyes were unreadable.

"Because I came to capture the man who haunted my drams for months. He's no longer here." She walked past a dumbstruck Chief Beifong and a slightly amused Akali.

"Come on. Lets go regroup with Mako and Tenzin."

She took one last glance at Amon. He stood, still as a statue, and watched her leave.

* * *

The sun was setting as Korra, Chief Beifong, and Akali reached the Air Temple. Tenzin and Mako were waiting for them, along with two men dressed in kimonos. Mako hurried towards Korra when he saw her.

"Hey, You ok? Where's Amon?"

Chief Beifong gave Korra a sideways look. Korra glanced at her briefly before answering Mako.

"We didn't find him. He wasn't even there. A small family of catfish gators set up home there."

Mako looked at Chief Beifong, then back at Korra. He didn't seem to buy her story, but he nodded all the same. Tenzin strode over to them.

"Lin, I brought the president of Tadashi Shipping Company, Masao Tadashi. I read his case file and I am pretty sure that he's-"

Chief Beifong held up a hand.

"Save your breath, Tenzin. I already know he's the leader of the Agni Kais. He goes by the street name 'Shogun' and his little 'company' is one of the biggest shippers of Cactus Juice in Republic City."

She jerked her chin to the other man, who was staring at them with quiet, grey eyes. His hand was on the hilt of a sword on his hip.

"And that's his second in command, Ren Takeru, otherwise known as 'Grey Lotus'. He's the one who makes sure the shipment arrive on time, and takes care of anyone who gets in the way. He's a Firebender and an expert with a sword."

Tenzin stared at Chief Beifong, his mouth agape. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm the chief of police Tenzin, did you honestly think I don't know the Triad leaders in my city?"

Tenzin shut his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Right, well…Yes, that's to be…umm…expected…"

Korra and Mako worked hard to stifle their laughs. Masao's eyes narrowed at Chief Beifong. He gave her a slight bow.

"Chief Beifong, a pleasure to see you again."

Chief Beifong brushed passed him.

"Spare me the pleasantries. I just want to get this meeting over with."

Tenzin followed her in. Behind him, a disgruntled Masao and Rin followed. Korra and Mako were the last inside.

* * *

Korra stood onstage as Chief Beifong addressed the crowd. They gathered all of the allies they could at the Pro-Bending Arena The only other time Korra had seen so many people was at The Equalist rally where she and Mako saved Bolin from Amon. There were hundreds of people listening to their proposal. Korra felt kind of nervous. She had never spoken in front of that many people before. Mako, who was standing next to her onstage, nudged her. She looked at him. He had a look of concern on his face.

"You ok? You look pretty pale…"

She gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine, just nervous."

He chuckled and intertwined his fingers with hers. You're going to do fine. Just don't pull a Sokka."

She let out a nervous laugh as Chief Beifong finished her speech.

"I give you, your Avatar!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Korra made her way to the microphone. She cleared her throat as the cheering subsided.

"Umm…I've never really been good with speeches…wow…there sure are…a lot of you…"

Korra swallowed hard as murmurs rippled through the crowd. She turned around and looked at Mako. He smiled at her and gave her a reassuring nod. Korra closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued.

"All of you are here because you're afraid. You're afraid of what this city has become. I know that's why I'm here. I'm afraid of losing my friends. I'm afraid of losing my family, I'm afraid of losing the one I love. I don't want to be afraid anymore."

There were affirmative yells from the crowd and that made Korra's confidence grow.

"I don't want to be afraid that I'm going to be killed outside my door just because I'm a bender! I don't want to be afraid that the world is going to be run by a lunatic that has no regard for human life! I don't want to be afraid that my friends and family who aren't benders are going to shut me out! So you know what? I'm going to fight!"

The crowd cheered.

"If we let people like Kayne separate us because of fear, we won't stand a chance. If we fight together, with the common dream of peace and harmony, we can win."

The crowed roared in approval. Korra noticed the red light of a recording monitor. She was on the radio. She paused for a moment, considering her words.

"Kayne…I know you're listening. I want you to hear this. Listen! Listen to all of the people who you thought you could put down!"

Korra thrust the microphone toward the crowd and they obliged.

"You hear that? That is the sound of your end. You will not take this city from us."

Korra paused again. She knew that in an all out battle with Kayne, there would be people who would not make it out alive. She slowly lifted the microphone again.

"Everyone…There is something you need to know…"

The crowd quieted. Behind her, Chief Beifong and Tenzin exchanged nervous glances.

"You need to know, that if you decide to fight Kayne, you are putting your life on the line. There will be a possibility that you won't live past this. Anyone who is not ok with this should leave now."

There was a dead silence. Korra was scared that she might have pushed it too far. Then, out of the crowd, a man's voice spoke.

"_We're not going anywhere!"_

There were other shouts of agreement.

"_Kayne's got to be stopped!"_

"_We're with you all the way, Avatar!"_

Korra smiled.

"Then I say this to you: As long is there is one citizen of Republic City that stands against Kayne, I will put my life on the line to stand there with them. If I go down, I go down swinging! I go down, I know I'm taking him with me! I'm not going down without a fight!"

The crowd roared in approval. Korra put down the microphone and walked back towards Mako. Chief Beifong gave her a pat on the shoulder as she passed. Tenzin smiled and gave her an approving nod. Mako's eyes were shining when she reached him. He pulled her into a tight hug.

"That was amazing. You were amazing."

She pulled away and looked in his eyes. They stayed there for a long moment. Then they shared a passionate kiss, not caring where they were, and ignoring the wolf whistles and cheers from the crowd. Tenzin put his head in his hand and muttered something like "Teenagers…" Chief Beifong just shook her head. Korra and Mako realized that they should probably leave. They left the arena and walked outside. The air was cool and it felt good on Korra's face.

"That was quite a speech."

Korra whirled around. Leaning up against the wall of the arena, was Amon. Mako assumed a fighting stance, then gave Korra a confused look when she gestured him to stand down.

"Korra what are you doing? That's Amon!"

Korra looked at Mako.

"It's alright. I'll explain later."

She turned to Amon.

"You came. I honestly didn't think what I said meant anything to you."

Amon looked out over the ocean.

"Neither did I."

There was a long pause. It was a while before Amon spoke again.

"I've hated benders for as long as I can remember. Because of that, any bender I've met either feared me, or hated me."

Korra didn't know what to make of this.

"Sooo...You don't hate benders anymore?"

"I will never stop hating benders. I can never forgive what they did to me. But I hate traitors who try to kill me more."

Korra put two and two together.

"So, that means-"

Amon cut her off.

"You are a means to an end, nothing more. I cannot get to Kayne on my own."

Amon started to walk away. His final words hung in the air moments before he was swallowed by the night.

"You have my allegiance, Avatar…For now."

End Chapter 8

Please review and tell me what you think

Next: Chapter 9-Battle for Republic City


	10. Chapter 9: Battle for Republic City

Ambush

Chapter 9: Battle for Republic City

Korra knew Mako had been frustrated with her before, but she had never seen him this angry. He stood there, glaring at her as she avoided his gaze shuffling her feet sheepishly. It was a long while before she was able to look him in the eyes again.

"Soo…Umm…I'm sure you have questions…"

Mako exploded at her, his tone making her flinch.

"You're damn right I do! What the _hell, _Korra? What was he doing here? What did he mean by his 'allegiance'? Why are you on speaking terms with the guy who ALMOST TOOK MY BROTHER'S BENDING AWAY?"

Mako was panting by the time he was finished ranting. Korra stood there, not knowing exactly how to explain everything. She couldn't think of an adequate way.

"Mako, I know this doesn't make sense right now, but…You have to trust me on this, ok?"

She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek. His face was hot. She saw him start to visibly relax. She looked in his eyes and saw just how much he cared for her. He sighed and put his hand on top of hers.

"I just want to know that you're not putting yourself in danger recklessly again. I will never trust him, but I trust you, so if you say that he's really going to help us…Then I'll believe you."

Korra gave him a small smile.

"Thanks."

The door opened and Chief Beifong and Tenzin walked out followed by three teens that the two instantly recognized. It was the group that Skoochy was always with. Leon led the other two, his aura of natural leadership almost palpable. Violet, looking like she would very much like to be anywhere else, tossed her dark hair behind her. Tig stood tall, his chiseled jaw set, face as stoic as usual. Korra was surprised to see them there. When she and Mako told them what happened to Skoochy, their reception of the news resulted in them running for their lives from a hail of bending.

"You guys came…"

Leon's eyes were hard. There was no fondness for them in the expression he gave them.

" Pretty good speech. I have a question though; was it before or after Skoochy got murdered that you decided you would fight for the city?"

The words stung like a slap. Korra didn't know how to respond. She didn't have time to. She had a fraction of a second to hold back Mako, who lunged Leon, fire in his eyes. Leon didn't even so much as blink. His eyes stayed level with Mako's, his expression unchanging. Tig's brow was furrowed and he assumed a defensive stance. Violet just looked annoyed. Eventually, Mako stopped struggling against Korra. He stared Leon down; the two of them engaged in a silent battle of wills. Chief Beifong broke the tense silence.

"Is…everything ok here?"

More silence. Korra could almost feel the intensity coming from Leon and Mako. Leon finally spoke.

"We're fine. Just having a casual chat."

Mako seemed dead set on keeping eye contact with Leon.

"Yeah. Korra and I were just leaving."

Breaking the emotional chain that tethered him to Leon, Mako turned on his heel and walked away briskly, not looking back. Korra turned to follow, but felt a rough hand grab her arm. She turned to see that Leon had grabbed her. Me moved in close to her and spoke to her in a low voice.

"I want to make sure you know, I hold you just as responsible for Skoochy's death as the guy who killed him. Me and my friends will fight, but not for you, and not for the city. We fight for the guy who was like a brother to us."

He let go of her and left as quickly as he showed up. The other two followed. Korra only felt sadness as she watched the broken family leave.

* * *

Korra tried not to let her mind wonder to Leon and the gang as Chief Beifong gave them the final debrief in a meeting room of the police headquarters.

"We've found out from the scientist we captured that Kayne's got seven laboratories spread throughout the city. These labs create the monstrosities that Kayne calls 'Maulers'. The scientist informed us that there are 'Reapers' as well and that they're worse than Maulers. Anyway, if we shut down all of the labs and destroyed the blueprints, it'll be one step closer to taking Kayne down."

She looked at Tenzin, who stepped foreword.

"How this will happen, is that we will have designated strike teams of Metalbender Special Operatives and one of us, go to the labs, and shut them down. To ensure that the labs will be as empty and unprotected as possible, the main body of our assault will strike at Kayne's known headquarters. If we attack with sufficient enough force, we should be able to draw out a number of troops from the labs."

Chief Beifong took over.

"The only problem we have is the scientist refuses to give us the locations. He's more afraid of Kayne than he is of us. As much as I hate using fear to interrogate people, I don't think I have a choice."

"You won't break him."

Korra whirled around. Leaning against the window with his legs crossed, was Amon. Tenzin and two officers were the only people who leapt up and assumed an aggressive stance. Korra saw Tenzin look more intense than normal. He really did resemble his father.

"Everyone away from the window!"

His intense gaze turned into one of confusion when nobody moved. Tenzin relaxed slightly, but he didn't let his guard down. His voice was tight as he addressed the room.

"Would somebody please tell me why an allay of the enemy is standing in the window of the police station and no one is fazed by this?"

Korra decided that it would be the best time for her to speak up.

"Tenzin, I can explain. When Chief Beifong and I went down into the old Equalist HQ under Avatar Aang Memorial Island, we ran found him. We talked and…well…long story short he's kind of on our side now."

Amon's eyes narrowed at Korra's last statement.

"Never once did I say that I was joining your side, Avatar."

Korra gave him a wry smile.

"It was implied."

Amon scoffed and leapt down from the windowsill. His piercing gave shifted to Chief Beifong.

"Where is he."

It was a demand, not a question. Chief Beifing hesitated for a long moment, then jerked her head to a door at the far end of the room. As Amon passed her, Chief Beifong gave him a warning.

"You have one minute. Any longer, and I come in, considering you a hostile."

Amon was silent until he reached the door. He turned his head slightly.

"It will take thirty seconds."

Amon closed the door behind him. Korra heard the faint cry of the scientist.

"No…It can't be…You're dead!"

There was a slam of metal on metal and then the screaming started. Chief Beifong swore and lurched toward the door, Tenzin followed close behind. She placed her hand on the door and electricity crackled. She let out a shout of pain, then collapsed. Tenzin halted and knelt by her.

"Lin!"

She was breathing hard, but she was still conscious. A few seconds later, the door opened and Amon walked out. His hands were stained red. He glanced casually at Chief Beifong as he passed her and Tenzin. As he passed, Tenzin surprised everyone. He gave a roar of fury and turned on Amon, pinning him to the wall with his hands.

"What did you do to her?"

Amon's eyes showed surprise, but it quickly faded. With a few maneuvers, he undid Tenzin's grasp on him and had the Airbending master's arm twisted behind him. Korra found herself on her feet with Mako.

"Amon, let him go."

For a moment, Amon seemed like he wasn't going to. Reluctantly, he let Tenzin go. Tenzin struggled to his feet, rubbing his wrists. Korra looked over at Chief Beifong. She was sitting up and looked pale, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Amon began to walk toward the door when multiple wires wrapped themselves around his torso, trapping his arms. Korra and Mako went over to help Chief Beifong to her feet. Amon spoke as Chief Beifong tried to get her bearings.

"If you want that scientist to live, I suggest you get a healer in there very soon."

Chief Beifong shot Amon an angry look before barking the order at one of the officers. Her wires replaced his as he hurried off to get a healer. Korra walked up to Amon. She tried as best she could to talk in a commanding tone.

"You're going to tell us exactly where all of the labs are and if you don't, I'll leave you to the mercy of Chief Beifong."

"The locations of the lab aren't all he knows."

Chief Beifong walked out of the scientists holding room, looking grim.

"That scientist told him where Kayne is."

* * *

Chief Beifong looked out over the ninety fighters that lay before her. She was overseeing the final preparations. Tenzin stood next to her. As much as she argued that, since she was chief of police, she should lead the battle, Tenzin wouldn't have any of it. He insisted that he be there. She felt like he was babysitting her. She could do this herself just fine. She mentally scolded herself. This wasn't an ordinary mission. She should be grateful that she had his support.

"Tenzin?"

"Hm?"

"I…Thanks."

Tenzin gave her a small smile.

"Just like old times."

Chief Beifong allowed herself a genuine smile.

"Yeah…just like old times."

Her smile faded as one of her newly promoted Captains arrived to give her a status report.

"Captain Bolin, report."

"Yes ma'am! We're almost ready on the east side, the north side has run into a snag due to low water pressure on the hoses. It's taking the tanks longer to fill. West side is finalizing the head count, and all that's left is here."

Chief Beifong nodded. She took out a radio and tuned it to a secure channel.

"All strike teams report in."

There was some static before the teams sounded off.

"This is Jinhzi form strike team one. In position."

"Bastion, team two. Awaiting further instruction."

"Korra and Mako here. Team three is ready."

"Akali. Can we get this thing going? I'm tired of waiting."

"Masao Tadashi reporting. We are prepared for battle."

Satisfied, Chief Beifong took out the spare communicator and handed it to Bolin. He looked confused.

"Ma'am?"

"There are six strike teams. Five of the six leaders are in position."

Bolin's face lit up like it was Christmas.

"You mean…"

Chief Beifong smiled and nodded.

"Go get in position with your strike team, Captain."

Bolin nodded enthusiastically.

"You got it ma'am!"

He ran off. Chief Beifong turned her attention back to the preparations, which were almost complete. She closed her eyes and focused what time she had left on how she would defeat the immanent treat to her and her city.

* * *

Korra peeked out from behind her cover, hiding in the shadows. Nothing much had changed in the few minutes it'd been since she last checked. The two guards were still there. She exhaled nervously and looked back at her team. Thirteen special forces Metalbenders lay low, awaiting her command. Mako was next to her and Amon next to him. Korra jumped as her radio crackled, she turned down the volume and listened intently. She was shocked as she heard Bolin's voice over the radio.

"Captain Bolin here with strike team six. We are ready to rock!"

"Bolin?"

"Oh! Hi Korra! Is Mako there?"

Mako stared at the radio, dumbstruck.

"Bolin?"

"Hey Mako!"

"Bolin, what are you doing?"

"Chief Beifong put me in charge of strike team six."

"…Why?"

"Hey!"

Mako closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. The concern he had for his little brother was etched into every line on his face.

"Fine. Just…Be careful."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Bolin out."

The radio crackled once more, then went silent. Mako and Korra looked at each other. They both sighed. The radio crackled once more, then Chief Beifong's voice came over.

"All units, move out. We strike now and we strike hard."

* * *

Chief Beifong heard them before she saw them. She instantly recognized the inhuman roars of Maulers. She led her forces through the city streets, expecting to run into them around any corner. She became extremely wary when they did not. She found herself nearing central station, the same place where she first encountered the things. As she got closer, she saw, standing near Zuko's ruined statue, were two Maulers and a group of chi blockers. Chief Beifong's forces outnumbered them seventeen to one, but something didn't feel right. She thought she heard several more Maulers than there were. She held up the signal that meant "proceed with caution." The group didn't seem to have detected their presence yet. Chief Beifong motioned and several Earthbenders, some of which being her own police force, stepped foreword. In unison they all bended large boulders out of the earth and compacted them as much as possible. They stood at the ready, awaiting the signal to open fire. Chief Beifong's hand fell and fifteen boulders were blasted at the group, who noticed slightly too late. The chi blockers managed to dodge most of them. Seven went down and seven more managed to escape the barrage. The two Maulers took the brunt of the beating. One of them seemed unfazed, but the other roared in anger and pain, one of it's clawed arms dangling at an odd angle at its side. Chief Beifong signaled a full attack and the entire unit charged forward…right into a trap. Five more maulers leapt down from the rooftops, landing right in the middle of Chief Beifong's men. Another twelve chi blockers accompanied the Maulers, materializing from the shadows like ghosts. The confident charge quickly became a hasty retreat. The Maulers carved a huge path through their ranks. Chief Beifong tried to make herself be heard above the sounds of battle.

"Focus on the Mauler's first! Pledgeshield formation!"

Her troops quickly assumed their ranks. They began to force back the attack. Six benders were focusing a Mauler, while three covered their backs and fended off any chi blockers that came their way. A short time later, the first Mauler went down. It took the combined strength of three Firebenders, two Earthbenders, and a Waterbender to do so. Five Mauler's remained. Chief Beifong barely had time to feel relieved. A Mauler had beaten the six benders attacking it and knocked the other three aside. With it's terrible roar, it charged toward her. She leaped up and out of the way. She clenched her fists and two plates on her arms elongated, becoming long swords. Hoping for the best, she charged toward the beast, unaware of chi blocker reinforcements coming up from behind.

* * *

Kora felt herself being gently shaken awake. She shook her head, trying to clear her foggy mind. She was leaning up against Mako, who was in an uncomfortable position. She lurched away from him and he stretched his arm, wincing.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep…"

Mako gave her a small smile.

"It's fine. You haven't slept in a couple days so I wasn't about to wake you. Plus you look pretty cute when you-"

His eyes suddenly became hard and he looked past her. He pointed toward the door. Korra turned around and snuck a peek from their hiding place. The guards were talking with each other, making frantic hand motions. Shortly after, they both rushed inside. A minute went by with no activity. Korra was on full alert now. Another minute went by. Korra felt herself getting tenser by the second. If something went wrong…After a half a minute passed, a giant door camouflaged to look like the building's wall opened up and chi blockers flooded out. They were headed in the direction that Korra knew Chief Beifong's faction was fighting. She went for her radio.

"This is Korra with an update. The lab just emptied, we're going in."

She turned the radio's volume to low and motioned for her team to advance. They ran as quickly and silently as they could. They reached the door just as it was closing. Two Metalbenders quickly jammed the doors long enough for the rest of them to get through. They were in. They sped down the hallway, being as quiet as shadows. They neared a corner and Korra held up a fist. The party halted. Korra peeked around the corner to see three chi blockers having a quiet conversation. Korra ducked back behind her cover. She held up three fingers, then made a triangle shape. Three Metalbenders nodded and sunk into the earth. A moment later, Korra heard three muffled thumps. She looked around the corner and saw the three Metalbenders standing there, the chi blockers unconscious at their feet. Korra was impressed.

_Man, these guys are good…_

They sprinted through the door and came to an elevator. Skipping the elevator, they rode down on the shaft. At the end of the shaft was a large metal door. Korra pressed her ear against it, but heard nothing. She turned back to her team and shook her head. Looking at her team, she felt something a little off. Someone was missing. Amon wasn't with them anymore. She cursed herself mentally for not keeping a better eye on him. A Metalbender stepped forward and motioned for her to step away from the door. He put his palm against the metal and closed his eyes. He pushed hard. Nothing happened. Korra was confused. Shouldn't the door have been destroyed? The Metalbender stood still for a moment, then moved back. He turned to Korra and held up seven fingers. He put four down, leaving up three, and made a series of punching motions. He put up one more and made an "x" with his arms. Korra understood.

_Three chi blockers and four other guys who aren't threats._

She nodded and the Metalbender motioned for his men to get into position. Korra braced herself for whatever was on the other side of that door.

* * *

Chief Beifong barely had time to react before the thing was on her. Just as she dealt the final blow to the Mauler she charged, she whirled to find one right at her back. She knew she didn't have enough time to block the blow or leap aside. She braced herself for the impact. It never came. A jet of flames caused the Mauler's bandages to catch on fire and it screamed in agony. Chief Beifong looked around to see the girl who she led to Korra after the rally, Violet. Violet's eyes were frightened, but she stood her ground as the thing turned on her, platinum claws spread wide. She shot another jet of flames right into the thing's mouth. Its scream became a gurgle as its lung's seared. Chief Beifong heard a roar, human this time, coming from her right. Another boy from the night after the rally, Tig charged towards the beast. He sunk his arm into the ground, coating it in heavily packed earth. He leapt up and brought the full force of his massive arm down on the beast's skull. Chief Beifong heard a sickening crack and the beast stumbled before it finally crashed to the ground. Nearby, Leon was weaving in and out of the fray, causing heavy damage, wielding a pair of daggers.

_Not bad for a bunch of kids…_

She couldn't afford to appreciate them. She had another wave of chi blockers incoming. She gathered as much strength as she could muster. With a loud cry, she brought her entire weight down on her right leg as she stomped the ground. Pillars of earth rose in a shockwave to meet the chi blockers. It left unmoving bodies in its wake. Chief Beifong gasped as her leg gave out and she fell to her knee. She hadn't done that in a long, long time, and her body wasn't as young as it used to be. She began to feel weary. If this battle dragged on for much longer, she didn't know if she had the strength to keep fighting. A chi blocker spotted her and flung a dagger at her. It hit an invisible wall and clattered to the ground, inches from her face. Chief Beifong looked up to see Tenzin drop in from nowhere and blast the chi blocker into a nearby Mauler. The Mauler tore it to shreds, unhappy that it disrupted its rampage.

"Lin, are you alright?"

Tenzin's back was to her. He was fending off chi blockers left and right, protecting her as best he could. She was glad he was on her side. She was about to speak when she heard a crackle. The radio. She grabbed for it and put it against her ear, the volume maxed out.

"Akali here. The lab has been whipped out. All that's left is to torch this place. It was honestly pretty easy."

One down, five to go. Chief Beifong felt a second wind and she stood. Her leg throbbed slightly, but it was just a torn muscle. She could still fight. She moved next to Tenzin and their fighting patters synchronized. They moved together, accenting each other's strengths and covering their weaknesses. Still, chi blockers continued to flow, like a never ending tide, hell bent on overtaking them.

* * *

It took two Metalbenders to fell the massive door. They slammed their fists against it and it peeled like an over ripe star fruit. Korra surged in, Mako and the Metalbenders hot on her heels. There were giant tanks filled with a green, opaque liquid. Floating inside were the things that Korra ran into when she went on that patrol with Chief Beifong. She vaguely remembered Kayne calling them "Maulers." Korra barely had time to register a dagger flying at her head before she ducked. She felt the blade tug at her hair. Straightening, she sent a ball of fire at the chi blocker. He skidded across the floor, unconscious. The team quickly subdued the rest of the chi blockers and the scientists. Korra looked around. There were at least fifty tanks filled with Maulers, each at a different stage of mutation. Korra felt her stomach churn and looked away. One of the Metalbenders approached her.

"Ma'am, the lab is secure."

Korra nodded.

"I need you to do something. I need you to search this entire place for Amon."

The Metalbender nodded and slammed his foot into the ground along with his palm. A few moments later he stood, glanced straight up, and then tacked Korra. The wind was knocked out of her as she fell. Struggling to breathe, Korra sat up and saw that the ceiling had collapsed. Amon was clawing his way out of the wreckage, coughing. He looked battered and was burned in several places. There were four scratches on his mask. He crawled away from the collapsed ceiling just as the thing dropped down. Korra instinctively scrambled away from it. It straightened up and surveyed the room. It was about as tall as Korra was. It was extremely pale, and black veins spidered across its pale flesh. It was made of pure muscle. The thing had no hair anywhere. It had no nose or mouth, only two large slits for nostrils. They flared as the thing breathed. Its eyes were large and completely black, no white or pupil. Clusters of black veins crawled across its face, seeming to stem from its eyes. The only color the thing showed were its hands, which glowed red under the skin. The thing seemed to have found a target and it moved extremely quickly. Before he could react, a Metalbender found his neck in the thing's grasp. The thing tilted its head to the side and Korra heard a loud crack as the Metalbenders neck snapped along with its armor. The thing casually tossed it aside. The other Metalbenders sprang into action. Multiple pairs of wires coiled themselves around the thing. It didn't budge. Instead, its entire body glowed red and the wires melted. Now freed, the thing turned and flung what looked like molten lava towards the Metalbenders. All of the Metalbenders managed to avoid it but one. He screamed as the stuff quickly melted through his armor and burned his flesh. He flung away his armor before it managed to eat into him. His armor skidded on the floor and was melted into slag by the corrosive red glop. As the thing turned, Korra realized that the thing actually flung parts of itself. Most of its right hand was missing and, as Korra watched, it began to grow back. The thing flexed its hand then looked towards the strike team. All at once, they all exploded into action. A deluge of earth and fire was thrown at the thing, but it somehow managed to dodge everything they threw at it. Korra gritted her teeth as she sent a hurricane of wind at it, only for it to leap over it and shoot a jet of itself at Mako. He narrowly avoided it.

_This thing…is…too…FAST! We need to slow it down somehow…_

_\_Korra looked around at the tanks suspending the Maulers. It would have to do. Picking up a boulder, Korra bended it around the room, smashing as many of the tanks in the area as she could. She turned and saw that the Metalbenders were all unconscious. Mako was slumped against a far wall, attempting to stand. The thing stood above Amon, who was helpless before it. It raised its hand. Without thinking, Korra froze her arm in a huge block of ice and leapt in front of Amon. She felt the heat from the thing as it melted through the ice. She screamed as it began searing her flesh. The thing was suddenly blasted back. Amon had delivered an earth shattering kick to its midsection. The thing skittered across the floor then righted itself. It seemed injured. Korra's arm was still burning as the corrosive slag began eating her skin. Hurriedly, she bend a large amount of water onto her arm and the slag cooled. It dissolved into nothingness. Kora fell to her knees panting. She felt shaken. Her hand trembled as it touched the place where the slag had been. It was blood red and smoked a little. She looked over at Amon. He was looking down at her, bent over slightly and holding his side. His yellow eyes looked surprised.

"Why did you save me?"

"Because you're on my team, and I always look out for my teammates."

Amon scoffed and shook his head.

"Reckless…and stupid. You could have gotten yourself killed. You're lucky I-"

But Korra didn't get to hear why she was lucky. Amon stopped himself and grabbed Korra by the back of her jacket. He flung her away and she slid across the wet floor and her head hit a table hard. Her vision blurred around the edges as she stood.

"Korra!"

Mako was running toward her. She looked over at Amon. He stood, his legs trembling as the hand of the thing pierced through his chest. He coughed up blood and grabbed the thing.

"Freeze it!"

Korra called upon the rest of her strength to bring all of the liquid from the tanks around Amon and the thing. It froze instantly. As soon as it did, the thing began to dissolve. A few seconds passed and the thing was gone. Korra unfroze the sphere and stumbled toward Amon. She collapsed at his side.

"Amon…"

Tears she'd never thought she'd shed for Amon fell down her cheeks as she looked into the masked face of her former enemy. She moved to take off his mask, but a hand stopped her. It was his. He took a shuddering breath, and chuckled.

"I…am such…a fool…"

He coughed and blood tricked out from under his mask. Korra moved to heal him with the liquid, but his hand stopped her. Despite his injuries, Amon was still quite strong.

"Don't…bother…You have more…pressing matters…"

He coughed again.

"Cabbage Corp building…secret lab under…Kayne's there…"

He grabbed Korra by the back of the neck and moved his head closer to hers.

"Prove to me…you were worth saving…"

His hand fell away from her and he was still. For a moment, Korra couldn't move. She couldn't think. All she could do was feel angry that, after all he went through, all of his hardships, Kayne took everything from him and left him for dead. Korra stood and looked at Mako. His eyes were hard. She looked around at the other Metalbenders. They haven't woken up yet. She walked toward the exit.

"It's you and me Mako. Let's finish this."

* * *

A great cheer rose up from the faction as Chief Beifong plunged her arm blade into the last living Mauler. Bloody and bruised, she straightened. The last of the reinforcements had been defeated. Her radio crackled.

_Not a moment too soon…_

She answered it.

"Go for Beifong."

"This is Masao. The lab has been destroyed. Now, as for our agreement-"

Chief Beifong switched channels. She wasn't in the mood. Another voice came over.

"Bolin here. Our lab is good to be blown to bits!"

Chief Beifong felt a wave of relief crash over her as another voice came over.

"This is Bastion. Our lab has been destroyed. We rendezvoused with Jinzhi's team a while back. We're currently mopping up survivors."

Chief Beifong only had one order of business left.

"Korra, come in."

Nothing. Chief Beifong's sense of calm slowly started to slip away from her.

"Korra, come in!"

No answer. Chief Beifong moved through the crowd to find Tenzin. He was standing near Zuko's statue, conductiong the treatment of the wounded and collecting the dead. He turned as she called out to him.

"Lin, what is it?"

"Korra's missing."

Without another word, the two ran off in the direction of the Lab Korra's strike team hit. Chief Beifong hoped that they weren't too late.

End Chapter 9

Please review and tell me what you think.

*A special thank you to C.T. Moon for allowing me the use of his characters (Violet, Tig, and Leon) Be sure to check out their original roles in Unexpected Friends, another Legend of Korra fanfic.*

Next: Final Chapter: Requiem


	11. Chapter 10: Requiem

Ambush

Chapter 10: Requiem

The Cabbage Corp building loomed in front of Korra and Mako as they made their way through the abandoned city streets. The pair met no opposition, which made them even more wary. They hid in an alleyway and Korra peeked out to get a good look at the entrance. It looked unguarded. Korra didn't put it past Kayne to have every inch of that building booby-trapped. She started for the entrance, but Mako grabbed her arm. She turned to him. He stared at her, is eyes full of the intense love that she felt for him.

"You know…"

His voice was horse. He cleared his throat and started again.

"You know…we might not come back from this…"

Korra put a hand over his mouth. She didn't want to hear this. Not now, not ever. She looked at him, pleading that he wouldn't finish that sentence.

"Mako…don't…please…"

He took her hand in his and moved it away from his mouth, despite Korra's half-hearted attempt to stop him.

"If we don't come back from this I want you to know…I love you, Korra."

Korra felt tears sting her eyes. The words that Mako said to her were the words that she always wanted to hear. She didn't want them to be the last she heard. She buried her head into his chest, the pain in her heart almost as great as the joy. She gathered her courage and looked him in the eye once again.

"I love you too…and we _will _get through this. Too many people have given up everything for us to back out now."

She saw understanding in his eyes. He was almost as afraid as she was. The hand that held hers squeezed gently.

"I'm with you all the way."

Korra nodded at him and turned toward the building. She took a deep breath.

_Here we go…_

* * *

The lobby was dark and deathly quiet. The two moved cautiously through, looking around. It looked like just another abandoned building. Amon said that Kayne's lab was underneath. She opened the door that lead to the stairs. They only led up. Korra went back to the lobby.

"Mako, look for a secret door or something. There has to be a way down."

Korra turned over furniture, scoured the walls, and looked under all of the rugs. Nothing. Feeling panic beginning to grip her, Korra threw open the door to a nearby supply closet…and gagged on the smell of the half decayed body that fell out. Even though the corpse had been there for a long time, Korra still recognized the monocle and the moustache.

"Mr. Sato…"

Hearing Korra's cry of disgust, Mako came rushing over.

"What is-By the Spirits…"

Mako steadied himself against the wall. He turned his head and retched. Korra started to look away from the corpse, but something caught her eye. A piece of paper was clenched in Mr. Sato's fist. Gingerly, Korra removed the piece of paper and read what was written on it. _Ascend to heaven before you can descend into hell. _Korra turned the page over. It was blank on the other side. Korra read it over and over. No matter how many times she read it, it didn't make any sense. She turned to Mako, who looked shaken.

"Mako, what do you think about this? It was in Mr. Sato's hand."

Mako looked it over, mouthing the words. His brow furrowed and he shook his head.

"I don't know. Maybe we need to get to the top of the building?"

Korra shrugged. It was a good idea as any. She looked at the ceiling. It was made out of concrete, but looked very weak. Korra reached toward the ceiling, arms together. She spread her arms wide and a hole tore itself in the concrete.

"Grab my waist and hold on. This is going to be rough."

Mako held her waist tightly. Gathering her strength, Korra created a pillar of earth that shot them upward. Turning her attention toward the ceiling. With many short, powerful jabs, she broke through floor after floor. After what seemed like ages, they broke through to a room with a tall ceiling. Korra dismounted the pillar, and then immediately collapsed. Getting them to the top took longer than she thought. Mako was instantly by her side.

"Korra! You ok?"

She nodded feebly. Her muscles protested as she struggled to her feet. She willed her body to be silent.

_Come on…don't fail me now._

Korra scanned the room. They were in some kind of office. A large window, overlooking the entire city, stood before them. In front of the window was a wooden desk and a chair. Sitting on the desk was a glass with strange reddish liquid at the bottom. There was a tattered bookshelf with no books. Other than that, the room was empty and the walls were blank. Without words, the pair began to cover the room, inch by inch. They found nothing. Korra looked at Mako and he shook his head. All of the pent up rage, frustration, sadness, and fear reached a breaking point. Korra screamed and slammed her fist into a wall. She almost broke her knuckles on a cleverly hidden metal panel just beneath the wood. Korra stared as the dented metal hatch swung open to reveal hidden elevator controls. After a long while, Korra looked at Mako. He stared back. They both broke into relieved laughter.

"'_Ascend to heaven before you descend into hell.' _We owe you one, Mr. Sato."

Korra felt renewed as she pressed the call button. The tattered bookshelf slid aside to reveal a long, vertical shaft. The elevator stopped, and opened its doors, inviting them to come inside.

* * *

The elevator doors opened to reveal a long passage way. Korra exited cautiously, with Mako right behind her. It seemed empty. The pair dashed down the hallway, turned a few corners and came to a large door. They looked at each other.

"Ready?"

Mako cracked his neck, preparing himself for the battle ahead.

"Ready."

Korra surprised herself by having to suppress a giggle.

_Well, look at Mr. Cool Guy here._

She shook her head to clear it, and the pair burst through the door. They came into a large room. There wasn't much in there except for a hallway leading onward and a balcony above that hallway. Still on their guard, the two advanced. They barely took a step, when lights came on and the hallway ahead became blocked by a thick sheet of platinum. Korra whirled around to see that the way that they entered was blocked too. A moment later, the room was filled with the sound of a lone person clapping slowly. They two looked around. Standing on the balcony, was Kayne. He was clapping slowly, a mock impressed expression on his face. Flanking him, were the two cloaked and hooded figures Korra saw him with at the ambush. A chi blocker stood behind them. This one was different than the rest. The helmet was different, as was the battle suit. Korra focused her attention back to Kayne.

"Wow. I'm surprised that you were able to make it this far. Bravo to you two!"

Mako took a menacing step forward, his eyes blazing.

"You're gonna pay for all the lives you took, Kayne! I owe Mr. Sato that much."

Kayne gave Mako a quizzical look.

"What on earth are you talking about? Hiroshi joined me of his own accord, along with his daughter."

Korra felt as if someone had dunked her in icy water. She looked at Mako. He was pale and was looking at Kayne in disbelief.

"No…Asami would never…"

Kayne chuckled and gave Mako a wicked grin.

"I guess you didn't know your girly friend as well as you thought. Oh, and, one more thing. I didn't kill Sato." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the chi blocker standing behind him.

"This one did."

Mako's fire seemed to have returned. He shot a jet of flames at Kayne. One of the robed figure stepped in front of the blast. Its robes caught on fire. Shrugging off its burning attire, the thing revealed itself to be another one of the things that took down Amon. Kayne chucked again.

"Now, that won't do. From the looks on your faces, I'll hazard a guess that you've met one of my Reapers before. They are my pride and joy. Very complex science went into these. These one's are special. They are my Seraphs."

The other Reaper shrugged off its robes and Korra immediately saw why they were special. On the Reaper that had protected Kayne, one hand glowed red, while the other glowed brown. The other Reaper's hands glowed white and blue.

_The four elements…_

Korra had no idea what to expect, but she readied herself just the same. Kayne brought his hand up to signal the attack, but the chi blocker behind him stopped him.

"Sir."

The chi blocker's voice was deep and distorted.

"Allow me to deal with these intruders."

Kayne let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Aww…and I wanted to see my Seraphs in action too…Ah well. I'm sure your friends will be pleased to see you again."

Korra was confused by Kayne's last statement. The chi blocked leapt over the balcony railing, did a front flip, and landed gracefully with its back to them. Kayne called out from the balcony.

"Now, now, dear. It's rude to keep your face hidden."

The chi blocker removed the mask and tossed it aside. Korra could tell that it was female. Her dark hair was tied up into a tight bun. It looked slightly familiar. When the chi blocker turned to face her, Korra quickly found out why. It was Asami. Korra heard Mako's gasp of surprise. Kayne laughed and turned to leave.

"You kid's play nice! Daddy's got a world to take over."

He left and the Reapers followed him. Korra and Mako were left face to face with Asami.

* * *

Chief Beifong entered the lab and froze. The lab was a mess and her specially trained Metalbenders were just coming to. Korra and Mako were nowhere to be seen. Tenzin came in shortly after. He looked around at the destruction.

"What happened here? Where are Kora and Mako?"

Chief Beifong strode over to the captain of the squad, who was conscious. She needed answers.

"Captain, status report."

The captain, shook his head, and looked around.

"Pretty messed up ma'am. This…thing attacked us out of nowhere. We tried to fight it, but it was too fast. Next thing I know, Maxi's dead, and I'm getting slammed against a wall. I recently came to."

Chief Beifong looked around. Up against a wall, there were tied up chi blockers and scientists. They looked to be unarmed. She walked over to one of the scientists and squatted down next to him. He looked at her, his eyes frightened.

"Look, I've been having a bad day. I had to fight giant creatures in order to take back my city and I've about had it with chi blockers. I'm only asking once before I lose my friendly disposition: Where did the Avatar and her friend go?"

The scientist whimpered and then let out in a rush.

"Th-they went down to the Cabbage Corp building to Kayne's personal lab. I know it's somewhere in the building, but I swear I don't know exactly where it is."

Chief Beifong jabbed a finger in the scientist's face.

"I find out you're lying, and Kayne's worst punishment will look like a tickle fight when I'm done with you."

Chief Beifong could have sworn the scientist wet his pants. She felt a twinge of pride at that. She stood up and walked back over to Tenzin and the captain.

"Captain, get your men and head to regroup with the rest of the unit. We have a few criminals to arrest."

"Yes ma'am."

Chief Beifong turned toward Tenzin.

"As for you, you're coming with me to the Cabbage Corp building. If Korra needs back up, we need to be there to provide. Let's go."

They started out the door. Chief Beifong felt that annoying sensation that indicated that she was missing something. It wasn't until they had made significant progress on their journey to the building that Chief Beifong realized that Amon was missing. Again.

* * *

Korra barely dodged the blade that Asami slashed at her throat. She back flipped out of her range and resumed her defensive stance. Something was wrong. This couldn't be the Asami that Korra knew and rivaled. That Asami was cheerful and smiling, not stony faced and dead eyed. Korra prepared herself as Asami charged again, blade held high.

_She's faster than I thought…_

Suddenly, Mako was in the picture and he grabbed her arm, stopping the blade.

"Come on Asami! Snap out of it! It's me, Mako!"

Asami seemed to look sad for a moment, then her face became stony again. She twisted her arm and performed a close quarters roundhouse kick that sent Mako flying. She leapt backward, unleashing a shower of daggers. Korra bent the air around her and diverted the daggers' paths. In the same motion, she sent a whirlwind at Asami where she landed. It flung Asami into the air. But instead of flailing, Asami spun with the wind and landed safely on all fours. Mako was on his feet and sprinted toward Asami. Korra charged with him, unsure of what his plan was. Mako struck out at her midriff with a right cross. She easily turned it aside and, with a simple twist of his arm, turned him toward Korra. Asami released him and delivered a powerful kick to his back that sent him crashing into Korra. The two skidded across the floor, tangled in each other. Korra felt drained.

"She's…too strong…too fast…how do we beat her?"

Mako sat up, his eyes on Asami. She was slowly walking towards them, twirling a pair of long swords.

"We need to make her remember…"

Korra looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"That's not Asami. Kayne did something to her. I don't know what, but we have to try and reverse it."

"Mako…"

Korra considered her next words.

"What if Asami's just trying to kill us?"

Mako's jaw set. He didn't look at Korra.

"Korra, just trust me on this. You asked me to trust you with Amon. I need you to trust me now. Ok?"

"Mako…"

His tone was as sharp as daggers.

"Korra, just trust me!"

Korra didn't know what to do. Mako had never spoken that harshly to her before. He stood up, his eyes still on Asami.

"I'm gonna try something. I need you to bind her arms. Can you do that?"

"Yes…"

Korra's voice was weak. She stood as well and mustered her strength.

The two of them charged. They were fast, but Asami was faster. She dodged all of their blows, and even managed to cut them several times. None of the cuts were deep. Finally, Mako managed to land a hit on her side and she staggered. Korra quickly moved behind her and pinned her arms. Asami struggled hard and Korra knew she couldn't hold her for long.

"Mako, whatever you're going to do, do it now!"

Mako moved close to Asami and took her face in his hands.

"Asami, It's me. You need to snap out of it. This isn't you. Whatever Kayne did to you, you need to fight it."

Korra felt Asami's struggle for release weaken. It really was working.

"Whatever you're doing it's working."

Mako looked into Asami's cold, dead eyes.

"Come on Asami, come back to us. You can do this."

"M…M….Ma…ko?"

Asami spoke as if saying his name was immensely difficult.

"Yes! It's me I'm here."

Asami's struggled less and less. Korra's arms ached from fighting to hold on.

"Ma…ko…I…I…can't…"

"Yes you can. You can beat this."

Suddenly, without warning, Asami became stiff as a board.

"Enemies of Kayne must perish."

She struck out hard with her elbows and Korra heard a sharp crack and felt a stinging pain in her side. Fully freed, Asami snapped her head into Mako's, causing him to stagger backwards, stunned. Asami lunged forward, a dagger clutched in her hand. Korra heard herself scream Mako's name as if far away. Before the dagger made it to him, Mako gabbed Asami's wrist with one hand, her shoulders with another. He bent his face to hers and kissed her. Korra felt numb. All she could do was stare. After what seemed like a hellish eternity, they broke apart. Asami stumbled backwards. The hand that held the knife loosened its grip and the knife clattered to the floor. Suddenly, Asami let out an earsplitting scream. Her hands rose to her head and gripped it as it were going to explode. She stumbled around, doubled over, screaming and grabbing her head. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Asami stopped screaming and collapsed to the floor. Mako rushed to her. Korra didn't move. Mako cradled Asami in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Mako helped her sit up slowly.

"Wh…what?…Mako?"

She looked over at Mako, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Mako…"

She flung her arms around him, sobbing loudly. Mako returned the embrace. Through her tears, Asami tried to explain everything.

"Mako, I'm so sorry! I couldn't control myself, but I knew exactly what I was doing. It felt so right. I don't know what Kayne did to me, but it made everything he said make sense. I didn't know what to do!"

She broke down in a new wave of sobs. Korra walked over to the pair, many things going through her head. Asami looked up and saw her. She flung her arms around Korra, apologizing to her over and over.

"Korra, I'm so sorry…I didn't mean any of it."

Korra tried to calm her down.

"I know, I know. It's ok now. You're safe."

Korra mentally kicked herself and reminded herself of what she was there to do.

"Asami, where did Kayne go?"

After a few shaky deep breaths, Asami spoke.

"He went to the lower lab. The Reaper tanks are located there. Korra…There are thousands of them…If he lets them all go…"

She didn't need to finish. Korra knew the world would be destroyed.

"Mako, let's go."

Mako stood up and nodded. Asami hastily got up with him.

"Take me with you! I want to help after…after all the damage I've done."

"No."

Korra's voice was harsher than she intended. She softened her expression.

"No. You're hurt badly enough. I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt even worse."

It was a lame excuse and Korra knew it. Asamli seemed to recognize her true intentions. She glanced at Mako, then looked at Korra. Her voice was soft.

"Fine…Go…I'll get out of here and try to bring help. You two be careful."

Mako opened his mouth to protest, hesitated, then closed his mouth and nodded.

They three went their separate ways. Using Earthbending, Korra launched Mako up to the balcony.

"Korra."

Asami's call stopped Korra. She looked around. Asami was standing near the exit. She somehow disabled the platinum wall.

"Make sure he suffers for what he made me do to my dad…"

Korra nodded grimly. She launched herself up to the balcony and followed Mako down the hidden hallway, leading to the lab.

* * *

The hallway seemed to go on forever. It twisted and turned. Finally, they came to a metal door that read Reaper Beta Lab A. They looked at each other. This was it. But before they could touch the door controls, the door swung open and there was the sound of party whistles. Kayne stood with his back to them.

"Congratulations on killing your friends! You're one step closer to becoming my apprentice, Asami!"

Korra scoffed and Mako retorted.

"Sorry to break it to you, but Asami's not yours anymore."

Kayne whirled around, a look of shock on his face.

"And to think…I didn't know you had the guts to kill her."

"We didn't kill her."

"…What?"

Kayne's expression from shocked to angry and confused.

"That doesn't make any sense! My conditioning was absolute! I'd been pumping my influence in her for a month! There was no way that two brats could break it!"

Korra assumed an offensive stance.

"You thought wrong."

Kayne screamed in anger and frustration.

"00 and 01! Kill them!"

Kayne's Seraph Reapers dropped from the ceiling and lunged at the off guard Mako and Korra.

* * *

Chief Beifong and Tenzin reached the door of the Cabbage Corp building just as the rain began to fall. They hurried inside. Immediately, Chief Beifong saw Hiroshi Sato's corpse. She grimaced. She remembered him going missing a month ago, but a lot of people were disappearing then. She looked away and observed the room. The ceiling had a giant hole in it. She looked through it to see holes going all the way up.

_Yup. Korra was here._

Chief Beifong called Tenzin over.

"Come on, Tenzin. We're going up."

A few moments later, and Chief Beifong found herself in the CEO's office. It had been long since abandoned. Chief Beifong spotted a glass with some opaque, reddish liquid in it. It looked maybe a couple of days old. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She turned to call out to Tenzin and spotted the elevator switch on the wall. She called the elevator and the doors opened. She looked at Tenzin.

"Going down."

* * *

Fighting one Reaper was hard, but two genetically superior Reapers was impossible. It took everything Korra had to just dodge their attacks. She did, however figure out their attack style. Their right hand was used for offense and their left hand was used for defense. One of them used fire to attack and earth to defend. The other used ice to defend and air to attack.

_How do we get past their defenses?_

Korra didn't have time to think as one of the Reapers shot a jet of corrosive slag at her. It leapt backward and coated itself in earth as Mako unleashed a torrent of fire on it. The other Reaper, it's arm coated in sharp icicles, lashed out at Mako. The icicles pierced his arm, and he let out a cry of pain.

"Mako!"

Korra rushed over to him, only to be hit in the back by a boulder that the other Reaper flung at her. She hit the ground hard. Turning around, she saw that the Reaper's entire arm was missing. It was slowly growing back as it advanced. Lifting it's other arm, it shot a jet of slag at Mako. Right before it hit, Mako swung the other reaper around ant it took the full force of the slag. It writhed in agony, then dissolved into a puddle of water on the floor. Their victory was short lived as the other Reaper advanced. Its arm was fully grown. It raised both arms and coated itself in magma. Korra backed away, the intensity of the heat causing her eyebrows to singe. The Reaper looked weak as it trudged toward the two. Mako got Korra's attention and pointed at the floor. Korra understood at once.

_The other Reaper melted into water! If I can…_

Concentrating hard, Korra picked up as much water as she could. She turned into an ice spear and hurled it at the Reaper. It went right through where its heart should be. The Reaper fell to its knees and the magma cooled. It tried to stand but the magma had hardened into a shell, trapping it. Korra stood before it.

"It's over."

She pulled her arms tight across her chest and the Reaper shattered. Panting, she motioned to Mako and the two set off after Kayne.

* * *

A few moments later, they came to a giant room. It was big enough to hold a small army. Kayne stood in the middle of the room. He threw up his arms in exasperation as the two entered.

"Oh, come ON! Are you freaking kidding me? Two of my greatest creations couldn't take you down?"

He growled, pulling out lots of daggers. He cracked his neck and took off his coat. Korra looked at him in horror. His chest was pale, muscular, and covered in huge scars. Some of the scars seemed very recent. Strapped around his chest and waist were hundreds of daggers. His muscles rippled under his skin as he juggled the daggers in one hand.

"If there's anything I've learned from Firelord Ozai, it's that you can never trust others to get important jobs done for you. You need someone killed, you gotta do it yourself. Pity your former life had to go and end the fun."

Korra gaped at him.

_Just how old _is _this guy?_

"You knew Firelord Ozai?"

Kayne chuckled.

"I was one of his soldiers back in the good old days. My, my, how time does fly when your slaughtering hundreds."

He flung multiple daggers at the two. Korra leapt to the side. She heard Kayne's psychotic voice whisper in her ear.

"Peek-a-boo."

Korra lashed out in fear. She heard Kayne's gleeful laughter as the rock she flung at him missed. Mako sent a flurry of fireballs at him. Kayne was nearly a blur as he dodged them. Korra spotted a flash of silver just in time to pull Mako toward her with Earthbending. The dagger Kayne flung at him missed him by inches.

"What, done all ready?"

Korra spun to see Kayne dangling from the wall by a dagger. His dark eyes gleamed dangerously.

"I'm just getting warmed up!"

He launched himself off of the wall and landed between the two. Korra gritted her teeth and lashed out at him with a series of quick jabs. Mako was throwing hard crosses of his own. Kayne either deflected them or dodged them. However he did it, not a single blow landed. As Korra moved to jab him in the side, Kayne caught her arm and held it fast.

_He…How is he so strong?_

Kayne caught up Mako's as well. He twisted them so Mako and Morra were forced up against each other. Kayne leaned his grinning face close to theirs.

"We having fun yet?"

Laughing, he pushed them away and sent them flying with a kick. They landed hard. Korra decided that now would be a perfect time to powwow.

"Mako…we need to stop attacking him individually. We need to work as a team."

Mako looked at her, his broken spirit reflected in his eyes.

"How? He's too fast, too strong…I don't think we can beat him."

Korra didn't need this from him, not now, when it mattered the most.

"Mako, look at me. This is just another pro-bending match. Kayne is just another team. We work together, we can beat him."

Mako registered this for a moment, than nodded.

"Right. We can do this."

The pair stood up. Kayne was waiting for them patiently.

"Oh, you done licking your wounds? Good. Cuz I'm about to inflict more."

He charged at them. This time, it was different. Mako and Korra moved in unison, attacked in unison, and dodged in unison. After a short while, it seemed like their strategy was working. Kayne was slowing down. The battle came to a close a long while later. Kayne flipped out of the way of a fire blast by Mako only to land on a pillar of earth Korra created. Kayne stumbled. At that moment, Korra knew that it was now or never. Mako was right there with her and the two unleashed the remainder of their strength at Kayne. He fell under a hail of bending. Kayne lay on the floor, breathing hard. Korra had never felt more drained in her life then she did right now. Mako came over to her and caught her just as she was about to collapse.

"We did it."

Korra smiled weakly at him. Her smile quickly faded as she saw Kayne inching toward his coat. Before she could warn Mako, Kayne reached inside of the coat and pulled out a large syringe filled with black liquid.

"My…Insurance policy."

He plunged the syringe in his heart. Whatever Kayne had injected himself with began working immediately. His strength seemed to grow as he hauled himself to his feet. He let out a groan of agony as his muscles expanded. The groan became a scream as Korra heard his bones break under the pressure of his muscles. The scream became a laugh as Kayne's veins turned black. His eyes turned black as well. He reached inside a large bag that had been at his feet when they first arrived, and pulled out a giant sword. It was almost as big as Kayne was. He swung it around a few times then grinned at them. Black fluid leaked out of the side of his mouth. His voice sounded distorted, like he was speaking through gravel.

"I think I like my new toy. Time to try it out."

He lunged at them. He was faster than before. Korra managed to dodge the blade, but Kayne's fist came up to meet her. It hit her squarely in the head. Stars blurred her vision as she tried to stand. She couldn't move. She watched helplessly as Kayne bore down on Mako. He tried to fend him off with fire, but it seemed to have no effect on him. It wasn't long before Kayne overwhelmed Mako's defense. He struck the blunt end of the blade into Mako's stomach. Mako's eyes went wide as he tried to draw breath. Kayne grabbed his face and mercilessly slammed him into the ground multiple times, then tossed him carelessly aside. Mako hit the wall and was still. Korra still couldn't move as Kayne walked toward her. He grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground, bringing her eyes level with his.

"And so it ends…A valiant effort, I must say, but you're no match for me."

He brought his face close to hers, his black eyes lifeless and filled with insanity.

"I'm not going to kill you now. I have better plans. I am going to round up each and every one of your friends, and I'm going to torture them into begging for mercy. When they do that, I will kill them, right in front of you. I want to see you suffer."

Korra felt her eyes fill with tears and Kayne laughed.

"Weak…You were always weak."

Korra closed her eyes, not being able to bare Kayne's torment any longer.

_I don't know what I can do! I can't do this alone…_

A chorus of ancient beings answered her question from deep within her.

"_You're not alone."_

Korra opened her eyes. They glowed white blue. The power that she felt when she escaped from the Equalist headquarters was back. It felt different this time. Korra felt herself become one with it. She was in control. She looked at Kayne, who was still laughing. She realized that he was still holding her. She didn't want to be anymore. She grabbed his arm and twisted it. The cracked bones in his arms shattered and Kayne cried out in pain. He released her instantly. When Korra spoke, the ancient voices joined hers.

"_**I am not weak**__."_

Korra launched Kayne in the air with a blast of wind. She bended the air around herself to join him. She sent him back to the earth with a powerful jet of flames. Letting the air around her fall, Korra plummeted after him. Reaching something near terminal velocity, Korra slammed both feet into Kayne's midsection, creating a large crater in the floor of the lab. Kayne lay at Korra's feet, bloodied and beaten. With a sudden movement, Kayne stood and swung at Korra with his sword. With a tilt of her head, Kayne was launched backwards. He landed a ways away from her. Korra lifted her arms, and the walls of the lab creaked. Suddenly, the walls broke and a torrent of water rushed through. Twirling her arms, Korra made a pointed gesture at Kayne. The water condensed itself into a giant spear of ice.

"_**This is the end!"**_

Korra launched the spear at Kayne. Kayne looked at the spear with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh…"

The spear pierced him right through the chest. He was pinned to the wall. Korra lowered her arms and the air around the room quieted. Korra's eyes stopped glowing. She stumbled, but she managed to stay on her feet.

"Korra!"

She turned to see Chief Beifong, Tenzin, and Asami running toward her. Korra started in their direction when she heard a loud crack. She turned slowly and saw Kayne, the icicle still protruding from his chest, stumble toward her. He could barely stand, let alone walk. He made his way to his sword and grabbed it. He was breathing hard, blood leaking from his mouth. It was black. He glared at them all hatefully. His eyes slowly returned to normal.

"You…You can't take… my-my world from me…It's my world…"

He screamed at them, blood spurting out of his wound. He tried to lift his sword but he was too weak. He pulled a final dagger out of his belt.

"THIS IS MY WORLD! NO ONE CHOOSE HOW I DIE BUT ME!"

With a bout of insane laughter, Kayne stabbed himself in the neck with the dagger, over, and over. He was still laughing as he lost the strength to stab himself any more. He was still laughing as his life blood drained from him. He was still laughing as he died on the floor of the lab. Korra looked away from the gruesome sight. As if a light bulb flicked on in her head, Korra remembered something very important.

_Mako!_

She pushed past Tenzin, who was insisting that Korra lie down, Chief Beifong, who tried to stop her, and stumbled over to Asami, who was crouching near Mako. She looked up at Korra, her eyes filled with tears.

_No…no…He can't be…_

Mako looked peaceful, slumped against the wall. If it weren't for the odd angle of his arm, or the bruises and cuts all over his body, he would have appeared sleeping. Korra shakily brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. She couldn't take it. She put her head in her hands, and wept. Asami left her a little while later. After what seemed like an eternity, Korra felt a small tug on her sleeve. She looked up from her tears. Mako was looking back at her, his eyes barely open. But he was alive. His voice was very feeble.

"No…Tears…"

This only made Korra cry harder. She held his hand as the healers took him away on the stretcher. She watched as he was hurried to the hospital. She looked back at the lab. Kayne's body was still there, a lazy smile on his face. Korra allowed herself to be led away by Chief Beifong. She turned back one last time, and saw Amon standing over Kayne's body. She only got a glimpse before she was ushered out of sight.

* * *

Korra stood, hand in hand with Mako, at the celebration ceremony in front of City Hall. The last of the Equalists had either been caught or fled the city. The Freedom Fighters and the Yi Alliance formed a truce. The war was over. Chief Beifong was giving a speech about how it didn't matter if you were a bender or not, everyone was equal and that, no matter what, she will always protect all citizens of Republic City. Korra wasn't really listening. She was too busy thinking about how she could sneak out of this place. Chief Befong eventually finished her speech to thunderous applause. Korra gave Mako a kiss on the cheek then told him she needed to meet someone. He nodded and told her to be careful. She managed to slip out the back of the stage, and took off on Naga. A little while later, she came to a shady alleyway. A cloaked and hooded figure was leaning against the wall.

"Your late."

Korra gave the man a sheepish grin.

"It's not my fault Tenzin wrote a four hour long speech. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

The man shrugged, subconsciously touching his chest.

"It's healed over. I guess I was just lucky."

Korra felt relieved.

"So…what are you going to do now?"

The man sighed.

"I don't know. Get out of the city. Go to Ba Sing Se and make something of my life, maybe."

The man shuffled his feet, obviously uncomfortable.

"I'd never thought I would ever say this in my life...Avatar...Thank you."

He turned with a flourish of his cloak. Korra called out after him.

"Hey, Amon! Good luck."

Amon waved a hand at her passively as he disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Mako was still waiting for Korra long after everyone else had left. He didn't look happy. Korra put on her best disarming smile and walked up to him.

"Hey Mako."

"Who were you talking to?"

Korra was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone.

"Like I said, I went to go meet with Leon. He wanted-"

Korra, please don't lie to me. Leon came by to apologize about five minutes after you left. Who did you go see?"

Korra didn't fully understand why she was lying to him. She felt that she owed it to Amon to keep his death real.

"No one. Mako, it doesn't matter. It's a beautiful day! Let's go to the park and-"

"Is there someone else?"

The words stopped Korra in her tracks. She looked at Mako. His eyes were serious.

"Is there someone…no, Mako! How could you think that? After all we went through to be together, you think I would do that to us?"

Mako's temper flared. He sounded severely irritated.

"I don't know what I think anymore. You disappear and tell me your meeting someone, you've been getting messages from someone who you won't tell me who, and you've been lying about it the whole time!"

Korra knew her anger was irrational, but she didn't care.

"Oh yeah? Well what about you! Sneaking out of the loft at early hours of the morning, moving lots of money around, speaking about secret plans? What have _you _got to hide?"

She jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

"Who the hell are you, telling me off for being secretive when you…Mako…What's that?"

While she was poking him, a long, black box fell out of his jacket. He moved to pick it up, but he wasn't quick enough. Korra got to it first. She started to open it, but Mako grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Don't. Not now. It's not the right time."

Korra eyed him suspiciously.

"Not the right time for what?"

Mako looked exceedingly frustrated and slightly panicked.

"Just, stuff, ok? I can't really talk about it. Just drop it.

"No."

"Korra, please-"

"No, Mako. I won't just 'drop it.' Why are you hiding this?"

Mako opened his mouth to argue, but he knew it was useless. He turned away, sulking.

"Open it of you want."

Korra opened the box. A water tribe betrothal necklace stared back at her. She was lost for words. After a long time, she managed to find her voice.

"Mako…The sneaking…?"

"I couldn't have you find out."

"The money…"

"That shiny, flat rock was expensive, alright?"

"The secret meetings?"

"Had to get it here somehow."

Korra looked up at the back of Mako's head. His ears were a deep scarlet.

"Mako…Are you asking me to marry you?"

Mako stiffened and mumbled.

"…Maybe…"

Korra stared blankly at him for a second. Then she burst out laughing. Mako jumped. Clearly, this was not what he expected, but Korra just couldn't help herself. She gasped words at him through the laughter.

"That…had…to be…the…wussiest…proposal…I've ever heard of!"

"I don't care about that!"

He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to face him. The intensity of his gaze caused the laughter to die on Korra's lips. She suddenly found herself breathless.

"All I care about is your answer."

Korra felt all of the blood rush to her face. She found that she couldn't look him in the face anymore. It was too embarrassing. Looking at the ground, Korra nodded. All of a sudden, her feet were no longer underneath her as Mako swept her up and carried her clear across town to the ferry. They boarded and the ferry set off for Air Temple Island. Korra took out the betrothal necklace. It shined in the golden sunset. She tied it around her neck, then turned to Mako. She did and experimental twirl and flashed Mako her cutest smile.

"Well? How do I look?…Mako?…Hellooo?"

Mako just stared at her, his mouth agape. It wasn't until Korra slapped him across the face that he finally returned to himself.

"What? Oh! You look beautiful, Korra."

She giggled and melted into his arms. They looked into each other's eyes and saw their future laid out before them. The two shared the first kiss of the rest of their lives, on the ferry, under a golden sunset.

The End


	12. Epilogue

Ambush

Epilogue

"Come on dad! Please?"

Mako gave his son an exasperated look.

"For the last time, Skoochy, we are not bothering your mother right now. She's in a very important meeting."

The dark haired boy pouted and crossed his arms. Mako had to try very hard not to laugh.

_He pouts just like his mother…_

The dark haired boy glared at Mako, his amber eyes shining.

"If you don't take me to see mom, I'll tell Aunt Ikki that you were being mean to me again."

Mako stifled a groan. He remembered the last time his son pulled that little stunt. Before he could explain that his son wanted him to teach him pro-bending, Ikki had yelled at him for over twenty minutes. It took him two weeks for him to get his hearing back. It didn't help that Korra thought it was hilarious as well. He didn't really have a choice. Giving in with a sigh, Mako stood up. His son stood up too, looking hopeful.

"Fine, you win. Lets go see your mother."

"YES!"

Skoochy ran to get his coat. Mako watched him run around, looking for it. He really did hold the spirit of who he was named after. Mako smiled a little. It all happened so long ago…his son tugging on his arm brought him back to reality.

"Come on dad, let's go!"

Laughing, Mako let himself be dragged out of the house.

* * *

Fall was quickly approaching Republic City. The leaves on the trees were all different shades of yellows, reds, and oranges. The wind was brisk, but blew gently. Skoochy shivered a bit and drew his coat closer to him. Mako looked sideways at him.

"Are you cold?"

The boy shrugged.

"A little."

His face lit up as he got an idea.

"OOH! DAD! CHECK THIS OUT! I LEARNED THE PHOENIX!"

Skoochy stopped, took a deep breath, and exhaled gently. Flames twisted out of his mouth and formed the shape of a phoenix before disappearing. Mako smiled at his son.

"You've been practicing."

Skoochy gave his father a toothy grin.

"Yup! I've been practicing a lot."

"Not in your room, I hope."

Skoochy was suddenly very quiet.

"Skoochy?"

"I didn't burn anything, I swear!"

Mako gave his son a stern look.

"Skoochy, you're eight years old. I taught you better than that."

The boy bowed his head.

"Sorry dad. I won't do it again. I promise."

Mako knew he would, but he would jump that hurdle when they came to it. The two continued on through the park, heading towards City Hall.

* * *

When Mako reached City Hall, the meeting had ended and people were filing out of the building. Mako looked around. Walking down the steps, her hair in a long ponytail was Korra. She was talking with Councilman Tarrlok.

"MOM!"

Korra looked around, a surprised look on her face. Then she broke into the smile that Mako knew all two well. Even after ten years of marriage, whenever she smiled like that, it made Mako fall in love with her all over again. Korra excused herself from Tarrlok and rushed to scoop up her son in her arms.

"Hey! How are my handsome young men doing?"

She looked over at Mako. He shrugged.

"The little one threatened to sick Ikki on me again."

Korra laughed and hugged her son tightly.

"That's my boy."

Skoochy laughed. Deciding that the conversation should be steered away from ways to torture him, Mako asked Korra about the meeting as she let Skoochy down. She scoffed.

"Akali, again. She's becoming more aggressive it seems. Masao's actually requesting for police escorts now. As if that'll keep him safe from her."

She shook her head. She looked tired.

"Hey, Skooch, want to tell your mother the good news?"

The boy looked confused, then he became a ball of excitement.

"Oh yeah! Dad's taking us out to dinner at that water tribe food place you like, and he wanted me to not tell you that we're meeting Uncle Bolin and Aunt Jinora there as a surprise! Wait…"

He looked at Mako who was almost doubled over in laughter.

"Which part did you not want me to say, dad?"

Korra laughed along with him. Skoochy just looked confused. She beamed at Mako, tears of mirth in her eyes.

"Did I ever tell you that you're the greatest husband ever?"

"You could stand to mention it a little more."

She gave Mako a playful punch than kissed him.

"Eww! Mom! Dad! Not in front of me!"

Laughing, the couple held the hand of their son as all three of them walked down the street.

The End


End file.
